


Way of the Alpha

by TahjBloo



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clexa, F/F, G!p Lexa, Romance, Slow Burn, Violence, wolf - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 10:27:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 56,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4016266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TahjBloo/pseuds/TahjBloo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Clarke finds an injured wolf and tries to treat the wolf when the wolf shifts into a human. The wolf is Lexa, the grounder commander.</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own The 100 or any of its characters.</p><p>WARNING: This work has been abandoned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wild Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Revised]

∞

 

 

It’s been just a few days since her mother sent her and ninety-nine other ‘delinquents’ to the ground to die; just a few days since she has first felt the heat of the sun on her face, saw trees all around her and for the very first time, inhaled the scent of wildflowers on a breeze. From her first step on the ground, on _Earth,_ she was instantly enamored. The lively sounds of the forest, the feel of fresh air rushing into her lungs, the rich dark soil beneath her feet, the white fluffs of clouds sailing in the great expanse of the blue sky overhead; she was enamored by it all.

 

However, _this is reality,_ Clarke thought to herself, _it can’t be this good, can’t be this easy._

And she was right.

 

Just barely a day in and she has encountered lake monsters, saw a two-faced mutant deer and barely dodged a yellow fog that kills. To top it all off, the rest of the 100 were drunk on a sense of freedom causing them to act plain mindless and reckless. Clarke had to remind them that they didn’t make it this far only to kill one another, and that law and order should be kept to some extent. So, thus far they have all managed to form some sort of commune - supposedly lead by Bellamy and herself - and Clarke was grateful for this; despite it only being for the sake of their survival and the irksome fact that they were calling her the _Sky Princess_. She was grateful because she was quickly discovering that while Earth was full of wondrous things, it was also full of many dangers and it was an essential that they stick together.

 

Just yesterday, in search for food and supplies near the mountain, Jasper took a spear to the chest, pinned to the trunk of a tree like a dart to a bulls-eye. It was frightening to say the least, but they found him later on still alive yet injured. Hence the reason why she, Finn and _unfortunately_ Wells were headed to a river hoping to find an anti-bacterial plant she suspected would cure her friend Jasper’s ailment.

 

“It’s starting to get dark. I think we should begin heading back.”

 

They’ve been trekking the forest toward the river for an hour and some time now, and though Wells was right, Clarke rolled her eyes at his comment and barely resisted the urge to outright snap at him. “Nobody asked you to come in the first place, Jaha. If you want to head back, then do so. I came this long way already and Jasper needs this.” She said,  stepping over fallen branches and cobble.

 

Wells easily took Clarke’s harsh tone. He's gotten used to her change in attitude towards him since Clarke had found out about him knowing the truth behind her father's death. “I’m only saying that we’re already put at a disadvantage by being clueless about this place. What if we catch something toxic? If that happens you won’t even be alive to help Jasper.”

 

“This is Earth, Wells.” Just a step ahead of him, Finn piped in. “Everything’s toxic.”

 

The boy’s brows furrowed at Finn until he felt a slight chill to the air and the steady sound of rushing water could be faintly heard.

 

Moving hastily ahead of Finn to clear away a net of branches in their path, Clarke yelled. “Look, there it is!” The blonde pointed towards a shore upfront. She ran the rest of the way and immediately started shoving handfuls of red seaweed into her backpack.

 

“You sure this is gonna’ save him?” Finn asked whilst holding his gun to his front in a guarded stance, keeping an eye out for their surroundings.

 

Clarke glanced at him for a second before wrestling with the zipper of her overstuffed bag. “It will.” She sighed once she finally got it to close. “It has to.”

 

Wells watched the two, impatiently pacing near the edge of the forest. “You got what you needed now hurry let’s go,” he said.

 

Finn saw the tick in Clarke’s jaw and knew she was about to go off on the guy so he gently reached for her forearm – a move that did not go unnoticed by the blonde. “Jasper,” is all he needed to say for Clarke to nod and advance toward the darkening woods.

 

 

∞

 

 

Back at the Drop Ship, Octavia was knelt at Jasper’s side tipping a canteen of water at his dry lips. He sputtered the liquid in response and Octavia cradled his head comfortingly while reaching for the cool washcloth to press against his forehead. She watched Jasper inhale deeply as his heated body oozed sweat. “Hey,” she patted his cheek until his dark eyes focused on hers, “Hang in there. Clarke is gonna be back soon.” Her voice sounded alien given how dry her throat was, but she hadn't noticed. “She’s gonna fix this,” Octavia told him, caressing his bottom lip with the pad of her thumb. “You hear me? Clarke's gonna fix this.”

 

He weakly nodded in response before brokenly croaking, “Some-th-thing is out th-there.” Jasper was shivering now and Octavia really wished she could do something to make him feel better. She remembered the bout of courage it took her friend to cross the water on the rope and she remembered the look of happiness on his face having conquered a fear. The thought made her smile slightly; but then she remembered him being pierced to a tree and it made her stomach churn in unspeakable ways.

“Yeah,” she whispered and frowned shortly before leaning in to press her lips to his jaw. “And they are gonna’ pay for what they did to you.” A tear trailed from her cheek to her chin and onto Jasper's forehead.

 

 

 

∞

 

 

 

Halfway back through the woods and it was completely dark outside. While walking, Clarke would look up every now and again at the sea of stars hanging heavily over her head, deeply amazed. Her bewilderment hadn't lasted long though, as she was startled by a loud and rippling sound not all that far away.

The trio halted at what seemed like angry snarling, followed by a chorus of threatening barks and then the quick blaring of guns. Finn was trying to pinpoint the direction the sounds were coming from, ready to attack while Wells prompted frantically, “That’s them! We have to go!”

 

“No.” Clarke paused, trying to see beyond the darkness, “Jasper was hit with a wooden spear." She said, "Whatever those creatures were, I highly doubt they're capable of using a gun." The blonde shook her head, "That has to be our people.”

 

Heavy stomping and the snapping of twigs sounded as Bellamy unexpectedly broke through a patch of forest just near them. Hastily running backwards and clutching a rifle to his chest, he warned the three. “You guys better run! Really large wild thing headed this way! Back to camp now!” He panted as a few others of the one hundred swished on by with burning torches.

 

Immediately after, Wells and Finn took off with the racing group, but Clarke felt rooted to the ground, unmoving.

“Clarke!” It was Wells yelling from a distance.

The blonde hadn't heard him though; because in front of her, on all fours, stood an immensely tall, dark-haired wolf flashing luminous green eyes and undoubtedly sharp canines. The beast appeared to be seething with anger as it circled Clarke slowly, just until it reached in front of her again; and to put things simply -Clarke was scared shitless.

Despite her fear though, she stood as still as a rock. Squeezing the straps of her travel sack, Clarke stared into the eyes of the animal. It was large as Bellamy had warned. The furry creature was looking down at her evidently suspicious of Clarke's intentions, waiting for the blonde to make a move. Glowing green eyes squinted at the sky girl and Clarke shuddered when the wolf’s snout sniffed very closely at her person.

 

She was completely at a lost for how to react. Panting heavily, her eyes scrunched shut when the animal put its snout directly at the tip of her nose. The blonde hesitantly re-opened her eyes and...could you imagine Clarke's surprise when she found that the pools of green scanning her form were far too captivating to look away from? Either way, she was sure the beast was about to eat her whole; that was until a gun fired once more followed by a deafening bark. And suddenly the animal turned on her, whipping Clarke to the ground with its tail to face an emboldened Finn who for a second time shot directly at the wolf.

 

“Wait, Finn stop!” Clarke cried from the ground.

 

The beast launched at the boy and his weapon and managed to charge Finn into a boulder. Even as it bled at the hind leg it swiped a large paw at Finn just before toppling to the ground.

 

“No!” Clarke had dashed forward to aid a grunting Finn who held his abdomen tight. “Oh God, Finn, you're bleeding!” She sounded hysterical as she eyed a particular patch of Finn's shirt that was wet and darkening by the second.

 

“I’m gonna’ kill it.” He groaned, nudging Clarke away. “Get back to the Drop Ship!”, the boy urged. 

 

But of course, Clarke hadn't complied. Instead, the blonde turned her attention to the animal laying on its side, who was quickly making its way back on all fours. Before anyone could think to act though, Wells somehow found a thick plank and hammered the wolf clear on the top of its head, subjecting it to unconsciousness.

 

Clarke gasped.

 

Wells was about to strike it again but she stopped him immediately. “Jaha, don’t!” She shouted staring wide-eyed at the creature and froze. The wolf’s fur all but vanished like vaporizing water beneath the scorching sun, and large paws morphed into tanned hands, and the animal deflated in size until laying on the ground was the form of a girl. The trio stood baffled.

 

The ground was becoming stranger by the minute.

 

 ∞


	2. Wildlings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Revised]

∞

 

 

They all remained still for a while; each of them no doubt pondering if what they had just seen was actually real.

 

Temperatures had fallen some since the sun had set and the hairs on the back of Clarke’s neck stood up tall.

It wasn’t because of the chilly night.

For some unknown reason she felt drawn to kneel down at the girl’s side and unconsciously, she did. Clarke studied the wildling intently beneath the low light provided by the moon. Her face was hidden by dark, braided locks. Long olive limbs were coated by the dust and Clarke noticed an intricate line of markings trailing from the nape of the wildling’s neck straight down her spine to the beginning of her rear. There were scars peppered over a tight stomach and a few bruises and slashes adorned biceps, forearms, shins and calves. Some of them appeared to be from ages ago, white and faint. While others looked brand new, red and angry. Clarke thought the wildling must have been through hell and back and wondered of the many stories held behind all those scars.

 

Hesitantly, her hands hovered over the bare body before her and her eyes fell to the girl’s bleeding thigh that housed a cold bullet. She also had a nasty gash on her forehead, most likely from where Wells had hit her. Clarke’s eyes roamed for any other injuries the wildling may have had, but something all beyond surprising caught her attention instead. The blonde’s jaw fell slack. There was either a third limb between the wildling’s thighs (which was not an impossible idea considering the unconscious girl  _was_ a mutant of some kind) or Clarke was staring at a phallus; a rather… _sizeable_...phallus.

 

Finn stumbled back a bit. “What the hell is that thing?”

 

Wells allowed the thick wood to fall from his grasp with a _thunk._ “Clarke?" He questioned in alarm as he watched the seemingly intrigued sky girl. "Clarke, what are you doing? You're getting to close, don’t _touch_ it!” Wells spat as if she’d instantly catch some incurable disease. He looked to Finn hoping that the other guy would back him up. “Come on guys, we should just kill it and go. It could wake up any second now!” Wells tried to reason with an uncertain Clarke and a disgusted Finn.  

 

The blonde ignored them both. She was far too caught up in her curiosity to stop herself from getting even closer with the comatose girl. The light touch of Clarke’s fingertips grazed the wildling’s injured thigh and she gasped again when the creature's entire body quivered upon the brief physical contact. The movement startled Clarke a little and she got up quickly, exhaling loudly she said, “We have to take her back with us.”

 

Wells' eyes widened in shock. “Are you crazy!?" He scoffed. "That thing just tried to kill us, Clarke!”

 

“She’s hurt, Jaha!” Clarke yelled back and gestured to the girl on the floor. She looked to Finn.

 

“Clarke, no.” Finn gulped and shook his head. “Be rational, Clarke. It’s dangerous to bring this thing back to camp.”

 

“But it’s just a girl, Finn.” The blonde argued even though she herself knew that this was in fact _not_ 'just a girl'.

 

Finn scoffed, “Yeah, a girl that shifts into a giant-ass dog!”

 

Clarke stepped to him. “We can gain the upper hand here, Finn. We take her back to camp restrained and after I tend to her wounds, we question her. There must be an explanation for why she is the way she is. Plus, she must know the terrain better than any of us.”

 

Finn held his abdomen tighter. Looking entirely doubtful towards the wildling, he sighed, “I still think that’s a bad idea. Who’s to say she even speaks, let alone knows English? ”

 

Clarke's patience ran thin. Cutting the argument short, the blonde gritted her teeth and wordlessly shrugged off her travel sack. From it she pulled out pieces of rope to secure tightly around the creature’s hands and feet, and then a thick towel to make work of wrapping it around the wildling’s nude frame. Standing back up, she pointed at Finn and Wells respectively. “You and you, _pick her_ _up_ and let’s go. Now.” Without looking back, Clarke walked off in the direction back to the Drop Ship.

 

 

∞

 

 

 _.: On the_ _Ark_ _:._

As a woman who is an adamant believer in science, she always found it laughable when people would base their life on endless amounts of superstition. Whenever people would say things like, _"Hey! If you want good luck, just cross your fingers!"_ Or, _"Knock on wood so you won't tempt fate!"_ , she found it funny; the laughing-until-you-lose-your-breath-and-bring-tears-to-your-eyes type of funny, too. 

But in the here and now, still as a woman of science, she couldn't help but wish that some of those superstitions were true. Because no matter how many times she indulged the silly acts by knocking hard on the wooden cabinets in the lab, and no matter how tightly she crossed her fingers before she went to sleep the night before, whispering to deities she didn't believe in, the fact of the matter was that her daughter was lost to her. 

Even more, she hated to admit that science couldn't explain the nasty void she felt inside. Nor could it explain the niggling feeling tugging at the back of her mind, telling -no-  _yelling_ at her that Clarke was still alive. 

Yeah, sure, the delinquents' bracelets have said otherwise, but she just  _knew_...she just-

 

At the sound of a mocking chuckle, she was brought back to the conversation at hand. 

“So what’s in it for you, huh?”

 

Raven Reyes, a heart-faced, witty mechanic was leaning up against a rusty old pod that appeared to be older than Earth itself.

 

“My daughter.” Abigail Griffin replied. “You have your own reasons as to why you need to get to Earth and I’m offering you a way to get there.”

 

Raven looked at the rust bucket doubtfully and adjusted the jumpsuit hanging loosely around her hips. She clucked her tongue at the ancient pod, “It’s gonna take me some time to get it up and running…this isn’t an easy fix.”

 

“But it is doable?”

 

Raven eyed Abby again. “How much time do I have?”

 

“Two days…maybe even less than that.”

 

Raven didn’t blink for a while. “Two days?... _Two days?_ You expect me to have this thing up and running in less than two days?”

 

The council member grew impatient. “Either you can do it or you can’t, but I suggest you at least try because-“ She closed her eyes and frustratedly brushed her bangs away from her face, willing herself to calm down. She exhaled. “You want the truth?” Abby asked while leaning forward, though she didn’t wait for an answer. “If we don’t find some way to connect with those on the ground, we are all going to die up here." The woman admitted, "Oxygen levels are waning and everyone on this ship _will_ die; innocent children, parents and elderly alike. It’s either we confirm that life is sustainable on the ground or we all suffocate in this metal tin can suspended in the middle of space.”

 

Raven glared at her sharply for a beat. “Then we’re wasting time.”

 

A moment passed before Abby smirked, “Good. I just need you to get the pod fixed, make it to Earth alive and send back a signal to the Ark giving us the OK.”

 

Raven nodded curtly at the council member and the young mechanic grabbed a tool kit so that she could get straight to the task. The instant Abby left the unit, Raven was left staring at worn wires and rusted bolts. A little more than overwhelmed, the brunette muttered softly beneath her breath, “Piece of cake, Reyes.”

 

 

∞

 

 

.: _The Ground :._

 

“Open the gates!”

 

Finally back from the river and the impromptu stop, Clarke, Finn and Wells stood outside the front of the stiffly constructed barrier that circled their campsite.

 

“Where did you go?” Bellamy was the first to rush towards them. “You were right behind us.” He looked over Clarke’s shoulder at Finn and Wells who were both carrying the dead-weight of the wildling’s body. “Who the hell is that?” Bellamy frowned.

 

“It’s a girl that we found in the woods.” Clarke told him and it wasn’t a lie. Not really.

 

“Where did she come from? Why is she tied up and unconscious?” He folded his arms while looking at her skeptically.

 

“Look, I don’t know.” The blonde shook her head in frustration because of his incessant questioning. "Would you please move out of the way?" 

 

Bellamy frowned and made no effort to stand aside.

 

Behind her Wells groaned, “Hey, this thing is far heavier than it looks. Can we carry this on inside please?”

 

Bellamy continued sternly, “How do we know she isn’t a threat?”

 

Clarke sighed tiredly and pushed pass him. “Only one way to find out,” she threw over her shoulder. 

 

 

∞


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Revised]

∞

 

 

“It’s crazy, ya know? One day I was lying on a cot back at the Ark with my Mom hugging me close as she told me about ships that sailed on water instead of the stars."

He looked to the sky and sighed, "She told me that her grandparents' great-grandparents called it the  _ocean_. Told me the ground was covered in it and I thought it was the single, most coolest thing ever." He frowned, almost bitterly. "I was only six, though, and it was my wildest dream to come down here.” His breath hitched, coming out as fog into the cold of the night. “Since then, I'd had a lot of things in mind about this place, but I wasn’t expecting _this_. Me…guarding a make-shift fortress that's barely reliable against an attack from whatever fucking bizarre things are out there to get us.”

 

Another guard beside him hummed, impassively. She was probably lost in her own mind about whatever messed up life she lead to put her in the position she was now at.

Posted at the west point of the campsite, they were both standing atop a rickety platform put together by stray scraps of metal and wood. It hadn't been all that high off the ground, but it was high enough so that they had a panoramic view of the surrounding forests. The platform was without rails and it gave a protesting squeak each time one of their weight shifted.

They both knew that it wasn't an ideal set up, but when given lemons...you make the best of what you've got.

Both guards brooded silently, oblivious to the pairs of watchful eyes hiding above in the swaying treetops.

 

 

∞

 

 

It smelled eerily of copper, grime and perspiration. The room was mostly dark except for the lit bulbs directed in the face of their captive.

 

“Who are you?” Bellamy asked. He'd been leaning against the wall while grazing the edge of a knife against a rough, grey stone in an effort to sharpen it. His attempts at intimidation, however, were proving to be useless. 

 

“…” The electric lanterns buzzed softly their own lullaby into the quiet.

 

 

“Where did you come from?” He pressed. 

 

“…” Katydids were usually shy singing insects, but could easily be heard from the outside given how thick the silence was.

 

“Don’t you get it? She's not going to answer you.”

 

“Were you the one that tried to kill Jasper? If not, do you know who did?”

 

Finn rolled his eyes before exclaiming, “The incident with Jasper was a _ruse,_ Bellamy." He had quit picking at his nails to stare their captive down knowingly, "I’m sure whoever shot him could have killed him if that’s what they intended.”

 

They were in the top confines of the Drop Ship. Strung up and clothed in rags was the girl— wolf… _thing_ that threatened them a while back in the forest. The large towel that Clarke had wrapped around the stranger earlier kept falling from around her shoulders, so Clarke had to get creative with a tattered lab coat, an oil-sodden cloth and a couple of rusty safety pins. She was more than glad that the girl had slept through the entire ordeal, however.

So far neither Bellamy nor Finn had managed to get any information from the stranger. Not a vowel. She just hung there, restrained as promised by Clarke and utterly still. Every now and then her eyes would shift from Bellamy to Finn and back at Bellamy, but she made no other movement aside from that. Her expression was blank, giving nothing away.

 

It angered Bellamy that his little attempt at an interrogation was proving to be fruitless. The one form of life they finally came across that resembled something human and the girl was being no help; _by choice_.

 

“ _Argh_ , say something!” He got up in her face; eyebrows stitched tightly together, baring his teeth at the girl. Shocking them both, the girl still glared at Bellamy unblinking, but if one paid attention close enough they would see the slight upturn of her lips.

 

She was smirking.

 

Finn laughed behind Bellamy, “Well at least you know she understands you're pissed, and apparently she's eating it right up.”

 

“Shut up.” Bellamy spat at him before focusing on the girl again. “You think this is funny?” He gave a smirk of his own looking down at her thigh, “Well let’s see what you think about _this_.” Bellamy prodded his index and middle fingers deep into the wound of the girl’s leg. On impulse, the wildling gripped onto her restraints as she stared murderously at the sky boy, the only other indication of her anger being her eyes that flashed, frightening and eerily bright.

 

She didn’t show pain, she showed fury.

 

“Bellamy?” Clarke’s voice sounded from the ladder below. When she reached the top and caught sight of what was going on, she fumed. “What are you doing?!”

 

The boy spun around to face her throwing his arms out exasperated. “I’m trying to make her talk!”

 

“Well if she hasn’t spoken by now I’m pretty sure she especially won’t after you’ve tortured her senselessly.” The blonde girl bit out and Bellamy turned on the balls of his feet, running his fingers through his hair –stressed out.

 

“You know what? I’m done.” He loudly clapped his hands in finality and pointed at Clarke. “ _She_ ,” he looked at the stubborn wildling, “is _your_ problem. You brought her here, you deal with her.” He was making his way out of the room but stopped to speak directly into Clarke’s ear. “Any harm this girl brings to our people _Princess_ , it’s on your shoulders.” He paused. “Just a reminder though, whatever that thing is…it’s part wolf. And don’t we all know at least one thing about wolves: they travel in _packs._ ” He gritted his teeth on the final word and huffed before moving away.

 

What Bellamy said resonated in Clarke’s head and she suddenly felt stumped as the weight of ninety-nine lives loomed densely on the ledge of her shoulders.

 

“Did everything go okay with Jasper?” Finn asked after Bellamy descended the ladder.

 

Clarke swallowed. “Uhh, yeah.” She shook her head and tried to come off as more confident. She nodded, “Yeah, yeah Jasper’s good. He just needs to rest for a while. Although, I had to pry Octavia away for him so she could go eat. Monty’s with him now.”

 

Finn smiled at her kindly. “I’m seriously starting to think that it’s impossible for you to fail at anything.”

 

Clarke chuckled dryly. “Not so sure about that.”

 

“Yeah, well. I’m gonna’ head down to grab a bite myself. You want anything?”

 

“No thanks.” Clarke declined by shaking her head.

 

“Okay then. Just be careful with…” He looked once more at the wildling, “ _that_.”

 

 

As soon as Finn was gone, oddly, Clarke felt like she could breathe again.

Unfortunately, that feeling went away just as fast as it came the moment she locked eyes with the dark-haired girl.

 

Clarke could better see the wildling under the bright indoor lighting of the Drop Ship and that organ in her chest convulsed at what she saw. The wildling's features were worth marveling at; her with her chiselled jaw, blush-colored lips, high cheek bones, and the tiniest pointed ears Clarke had ever seen. Her leaf-green eyes were clouded by what looked like black pastel and a chocolate flurry of plaits framed her face, untamed.

 

“Uhh…h-hi.” Clarke stammered out lamely.

 

Looking pensive, the girl only tilted her head at Clarke.

 

While tending to Jasper a moment earlier, Clarke's thoughts had drifted back on what had happened out in the woods. She thought about how the wolf had circled her, studiously. She had thought about how the wolf had had a clear opportunity to lunge at her and instantaneously end her life with a simple bite at the neck. 

But she didn't

 _Why?_ Clarke had furrowed her brows in thought. 

 

“Okay. Right -so I’m just gonna’…” The blonde trailed off before reaching for a pail of warm water and a small towel. She slowly approached the wildling and stared intently at the gash on the outsider’s forehead. Cautiously, Clarke reached forward with the warm, wet towel to dab at the brunette’s torn flesh. Though, with whatever range of mobility the wildling had, she swiftly moved her head away from Clarke's prodding.

Clarke sighed at the wildling’s indifference, “I can’t help you if you do that, you know? I only want to clean your wound…” The sky girl said pleadingly.

 

The outsider’s features remained stern, but her lips twitched and so Clarke took it as a sign to try again. This time she managed to touch the throbbing bruise without resistance and she smiled slightly for the little victory. “Thank you.” She told the wildling. Clarke could feel green eyes trained on her every movement and she chanced a glance at the girl only to look away quickly, blushing. And at that, though she didn’t see it, there was an instant -yet subtle- glow to the wildling’s eyes.

“So…where did you come from?” Clarke tried at conversation only to be met with silence.

 

“Okay...well, are you going to at least tell me your name?” The blonde paused her actions to stare back at the mute brunette. “You can at least tell me your name, right? There can't be any harm in _that_.” She licked her lips desperately hoping the girl would give her some sort of verbal response.

After she saw that she would get none, she tried a different approach, “Well. I’m Clarke, in case you were wondering." The sky girl blew out a lungful of air, "And now that your forehead is all cleaned up, I’m going to have a look at that leg, if you don’t mind?”              

 

Still she said nothing.

 

Turning around, Clarke reached for a small medical kit. “I can understand your reluctance. After all, I wouldn’t put my trust in someone who put a bullet in my leg and knocked me unconscious, either.” Clarke turned back around, “Sorry about that by the way. I get the feeling that things could have turned out differently but... Finn saw you as a threat. He was just trying to protect me. And Wells…well...he was just being  _Wells._ ” The sky girl drawled at the thought of the boy and crouched to better look at the brunette’s thigh. “This would be a lot easier if you were lying down, but we’ll have to make do, I guess.” Clarke looked up at the wildling for a second while holding a clamp-like instrument in her hand, “I’m going to remove the bullet now, okay? It may sting a little.”

 

The wildling merely gazed at the blonde, seemingly calm compared to when Finn and Bellamy were there. She didn’t whimper or retract at the pain of the bullet removal, nor when Clarke stitched up the open site. “There. All done.” The blonde gave a weak smile.

 

Immediately, Clarke stood; wiping dried blood from her fingers and palms. She reached for a plastic container of water. “You need to keep hydrated,” she said and without much thought, Clarke put the mouth of the container to chapped, pink lips, prompting the girl to drink. The outsider's eyes flickered from the container to Clarke’s pale face. “Come on...” The sky girl pleaded hopefully.

 

After what felt like forever, the wildling inhaled deeply as she eyed the container, looking directly into the sky girl’s eyes for signs of deception. A beat later and Clarke was smiling brightly when the brunette began gulping down the clear fluid. Clarke had to tip-toe a bit to tilt the container higher as the girl looked intent on emptying it. The wildling was taller than her by at least four inches, apparently.

 

Clarke slowly moved the now void container from the brunette's wet lips. Unconsciously, she used her thumb to smear away a stray droplet of water from the girl’s chin.  And in that instant, her insides sizzled and her breathing fell short once she realized what she’d just done. She cleared her throat in an effort to move the lump suddenly lodged there. Before she could move away, a voice so supple and enchanting to Clarke’s ears broke the silence for the very first time.

 

_“Klark kom skai kru.”_

 

It was low but Clarke was sure she heard it. Her brain short-circuited trying to put together what she'd heard. “Wha-...what did you just say?”

 

She thought she heard the wildling say her name and Clarke was now close enough to the outsider for the brunette to brush her fingertips against Clarke’s thigh.

 

The blonde gulped and the voice spoke again. “Thank You, _Klark_.”

 

Now Clarke was the mute one who could only watch as the wildling threw her head back and out sounded an earth shattering howl, deep from the belly of the wolf.

 

 

∞

 


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Edited]

**_.: Now Clarke is the mute one who can only watch as the wildling throws her head back and out sounds an earth shattering howl deep from the belly of the wolf. :._ **

****

∞

 

 

 _“Heda summons!”_ A forbidding voice carried through the trees like a leaf lost to the breeze.

 

Each and every sky person within or around the campsite held their hands tightly to their ears in discomfort. Guards all around the fortress, those who sat on rings formed by logs surrounding flaring fires, others who were still putting away food in storage from when Bellamy and his group hunted earlier; every single one of the one hundred either fell to their knees or curled up in an effort to block out the ear-piercing shrill coming from the inside of the Drop Ship.

 

They were all confused and groaning, utterly distracted when falling from the canopies above, grounders surrounded both the exterior and interior revolutions of the camp site.

 

 _“Sis op emo kom! Emo Skaikru!”_ A woman of a muscular physique and tar darkened skin stood strong at the center of the camp. She held an oddly curved blade tightly in her left hand, looking entirely ready to decapitate anyone who dared cross her. The ends of her garb wavered at her calves from the force she made with the ground. _Grab them all! All sky people!_ The woman instructed again in an alien tongue as grounders scrambled the site –seemingly immune to the loud howling- rendering every sky person in sight submissive to the end of their spears or blades.

 

When the howling had ceased, Bellamy who was huddled to the ground next to a cowering little girl, shadowed her from a grim looking man headed directly for them. The grounder’s face was slobbered in a white cake-y paste and he had eyes that were blood-shot red. Bellamy hastily grabbed the pocket knife from his jacket and when the grounder got close enough, he surged forward intending to stab the invader.

 

The grounder stopped upon impact.

 

He looked down at the little silvered dagger the sky boy lodged into his abdomen and pulled out the offending object, throwing it to the side with a snarl.

 

Bellamy stumbled backwards at the angry and unfazed grounder, “Kid _run._ ” He warned the whimpering girl holding onto him.

 

The girl tried to break away, but fear fueled her as she ran blindly into another grounder. This one was female who took no mercy in knocking the child out to the sludge beneath her feet.

 

 

The grounder's invasion of the sky people’s camp had happened so suddenly and at a point in time where they were more than vulnerable. Therefore, it wasn’t until a while after that a guard was able to shrug away his shock and discomfort and make use of his weapon, opening fire at any visible opponent. It only took one guard to influence the rest and in an instant, sky people and grounders were in a battle consisting of swift slicing weapons and shakily aimed firearms.

 

Within the crossfire, crouched down, Octavia’s eyes blew wide when she saw her brother struggling on the ground as he gasped for air. The grounder towering over him had his heavy, booted foot pressed harshly into Bellamy’s throat restricting him from breathing. As Bellamy went blue in the face, Octavia paled; but all caution flew out the window at the thought of her brother dying. She mindlessly weaved through the clashing of metal upon flesh and tackled the man from behind. Her weight wasn’t much to budge the grounder away but it did serve as a distraction as the grounder kicked Bellamy to the side and instead worked on prying the sky girl from his back.

 

Despite their advanced weaponry, for the sky people, this was a tiresome fight. They were not as adept in combat as the grounders. Instead of exuding stealth, agility, precision, strength and brutality like the grounders did, they were mostly lousy shots and considerably _weak_ compared to the standards of grounder culture.

 

What broke the commotion was the bustling of the Drop Ship doors and there stood the beast.

 

All armaments and every wielder halted their movements.

 

Some of the sky people gazed in wonder, others in horror. But all grounders bowed their heads in reverence as their leader made her way through, parting the diverse and silent crowd until she stood tall before the dark woman who instructed the grounders to withhold all sky people. _“Heda.”_ The woman bowed shortly below the wolf.

 

Clarke came out rushing breathless from the Drop Ship shortly after. Surprise showed in blue eyes that scattered the large mass of both her people and a countless amount of strange faces.

 

“Clarke!” The blonde’s head whipped in the direction of a grunting Finn who currently had his arm twisted sharply behind him at the center of his spine. In a heartbeat the wolf was before the boy and she only growled at him, eyes gleaming. The grounder who held him tight read the look the wolf gave the sky boy and abruptly let him go. Finn was confused for a moment until the grounder behind him struck the side of his cranium with something looking identical to a mallet. His ears rung for what seemed like forever till his head was pounding and his vision went blank. “Finn!” Clarke cried surging towards him but was stopped by a line of grounders blocking her.

 

 _“Sis op em honon!”_ The dark woman ordered, _take him prisoner_.

 

Clarke could not break though the wall of grounders, screeching helplessly, “Finn, no!” She caught a glimpse of her friend being roped up and tugged away carelessly. Her crying only stopped when the wolf wailed once more, louder than the detonation of missiles. Clarke’s knees fell to the metal incline of the Drop Ship’s entrance as all grounders fled the scene. When she deemed it safe, she opened her eyes to find the wolf far off in the distance looking back directly at her before sprinting into the darkness.

 

 

 The fires died and it was only the light from the sky and _the Exodus_ left illuminating them.

 

“What in the actual fuck was that?!” Murphy exclaimed. He was lying back on his elbows on the ground covered in filth. His lip was split and Clarke could see his left eye beginning to swell up, the surrounding skin turning a sickly maroon.

 

 She only realized that the question was directed toward her when she found all eyes flickering to her. Including Bellamy’s, who limped up with the help of Octavia. The head of an arrow was slotted deeply into his thigh and he grimaced in pain. “What now, Princess?”

 

 Clarke swore she would puke on the spot. So many emotions twisted in her gut: worry, anger, sadness, _guilt._ The last one being magnified by the fact that her people were attacked and she couldn’t shake the feeling that it’s all her fault; especially with Bellamy’s accusing glare.

 

Worst of all though, Finn was gone.

 

 

∞

 

 

 _.: On the_ _Ark_ _:._

To whatever form of life that may or may not be alive on the ground, they would see her as a maddeningly propelling star.

 

 Raven frantically flipped switches and pressed buttons and cursed at the needles that rose and fell on gauges. Kane had been hot on her and Abby’s ass, so there was an abrupt change of plans. If she had any intentions of getting to Earth, it had to be now. By the time the pod had detached itself from the Ark, Raven’s heart was in her throat.

 

 Floating through space, she felt as weightless as a feather but by the time she was plummeting into the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere she sang a mantra, “Please don’t let me die. Please don’t let me die. Holy shit, I’m gonna’ die!” The force of gravity was vehemently sucking her in and all she felt was heat. Insane heat that compressed against the metal death trap she was contained in.

 

Her vision became blotched with a dangerous hue of red but soon she saw the color of blue. It was surreal and absolutely frightening.

 

A distorted, infinite amount of blue stole her vision until she saw nothing.

 

 

∞

 


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Edited]
> 
> Disclaimer in chapter one.

 ∞

 

 

_.: Sky People's Camping Grounds:._

 

She hadn’t slept since the morning before.

 

For Clarke, last night had been a blur of antiseptics, arm slings and crutches. The grounders had managed to leave one third of the one hundred with either fractured bones or festering bruises, and no one had the slightest clue as to why they were ambushed.

 

The sky showed a tango of magenta and tangerine with scattered clouds as Clarke exited the Drop Ship. It was the crack of dawn and the dark circles around her eyes spoke of no sleep. However, despite her exhaustion she persisted in heading towards Bellamy who was deep in conversation with Murphy, a girl named Shane and two other guys.

 

Everyone else working or wandering around the camp watched one of their leaders approach the other.

 

 

During her short paces over, a million questions whirred through Clarke’s mind; questions concerning yesterday’s events –the wolf in the forest…the grounder attack… _grounders bowing to the wolf_.

 

 

Mental images of yesterday's events clouded her clustered mind. She didn't know what to believe and she was too frustrated to make sense of the situation. Nothing added up. _Why did they take him, why Finn?_ _Could the girl have staged her unconsciousness?_ _Am I being paranoid? What was…_ “ –the objective." Bellamy's voice interrupted her thoughts as she stood near the group.

He adjusted the dangling strap of his gun as he instructed his peers. "If you see or find anything else that could be useful, let me know. We should be back at least an hour before dark.”

 

 At his final words Clarke cleared her throat, making her presence known. “Back from where, exactly?” She questioned.

 

Latching the straps of his travel sack across his abdomen, Bellamy sighed. “Well, if you must know, Princess. The ‘surprise party’ from last night has left us low on ammo and if we have any chance of staying alive, we need to stack up on protection. We’re headed out west.”

 

Her brows furrowed, “and Finn? Those creatures have him and there’s no telling why or what they could do to him! Bellamy, you see what they did to Jasper.” The blonde exclaimed.

 

“Clarke, first of all we don’t even know where they took him.” Bellamy argued, “He could even be dead by now. And even if he isn’t, how do you expect to save Finn using a bunch of empty guns or going without _any_ kind of defence for that matter.”

 

The girl folded her arms grinding her teeth at the truth of Bellamy’s words. “And your leg?”  Clarke gestured to the boy’s wound. She had suggested that Bellamy rely on a crutch for a bit but the boy waved her off and settled for a rag tightly knotted around his punctured thigh. “If something comes after you guys, how will you run?”

 

“What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger.” He shrugged.

 

Mild tension flowed between the two leaders until Octavia interrupted, “Okay, I’m ready, let’s go.” She came up beside them. “Just how far are we headed out, Bell?”

 

“And where do you think you’re going?” His eyebrows rose. “You’re not coming with us.”

 

The brunette's jaw slackened and she felt the urge to stomp in defiance but resisted. “Are you serious right now?” Octavia glared at her brother. “I’m not a _child,_ Bellamy.”

 

He leaned in toward her, “You are _staying_. Here. At. Camp.” He whispered sternly, placing emphasis on each syllable before turning away and leading the others out the gates.

 

Since birth and all throughout her life on the Ark she had been hidden and coddled by Bellamy. She thanked her lucky stars for her brother but what he had always failed to understand was that he couldn’t keep her away from every impending danger there was. He could not insist on perilling his life to protect her and she hated to think that he'd learn that sooner rather than later.

 

“Yeah,” her upper lip curled, watching the gates close as her brother and his group left the camp for a nth time, “we’ll see about that,” Octavia grumbled before stalking off.

 

 

∞

 

 

_.: Inside the Exodus:._

 

It had been a while since Bellamy those had left and Clarke refused to remain at the camp for another gruesome second knowing that Finn was in need of help.

 

She was on the inside near her hammock preparing herself to go out and find her friend. She didn’t exactly have a plan, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try _something._

 

“Clarke? Are you in here?”

 

The room was a little dark for the comfort of those on bed rest, but Clarke was able enough to see what she was doing. She shoved a canteen of water in the side pocket of her travel sack and swore beneath her breath before turning at the voice. “Jaha.” She drawled, “what do you want?”

 

Upon seeing her, Wells ignored her question, looking at her in confusion. “Where are you going?” He pointed to the bag hanging off her shoulder.

 

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” Clarke muttered and brushed past him on outside.

 

“Wait, Clarke. You’re not going to do what I think you are, right?” He kept fast on her heels.

 

She gave him no answer, but instead made a clear path for Monty who was crouched down busily tinkering with two sparking wires.  “Hey, keep up with getting those transmitters working so we can contact the Ark.” Clarke told him and turned on her heel. With a determined stride went directly for the gates.

 

“Clarke, wait!” Wells came stumbling behind her while throwing the strap of a sniper around his shoulders. “You really shouldn’t be doing this.”

 

Spinning on the spot, Clarke stopped the boy dead in his tracks. “Look, I don’t know if you’ve gotten the memo, Jaha,but for every time you open your mouth you make me want to stab you in the throat. The last thing I need is you whining behind me, telling me what it is you think I should or shouldn’t be doing. The only reason I am allowing you to come with me is because there is a part of me that’s hoping _you_ get pinned to a tree. Are we clear?”

 

It hurt him to hear the girl he once called his best-friend say such a thing to him with so much sincerity, but he pushed his feelings to the back burner. He was only going because he wanted to ensure Clarke’s safety, no matter how much she hated him.

 

Wells swallowed hard as he stared Clarke directly in the eyes. “Crystal clear.”

 

 

∞

 

  _.: West of the Sky People's Camp Site:.  
_

 

“Hey guys do you see that over there?”

 

They were now miles away from camp but had no luck so far. All they’ve come across were trees, trees and even more trees.

 

“See what?” Murphy turned from Shane and looked around aimlessly.

 

Shane walked further up their trail to stand on a large, bulky rock. “That,” she pointed to a stream of dark smoke diffusing into the air not too far away. Bellamy and the two guys that were lagging behind all followed the direction in which Shane was pointing.

 

Bellamy squinted intently, “I doubt a campfire could’ve caused that.” Giving no orders, he began walking ahead en route to the inky cloud of smoke, expecting everyone else to automatically follow. Murphy now being at the back of the group squeezed the shaft of his gun tightly when a thud sounded behind him along with a gasp.

 

“What was that?” Bellamy spun around.

 

Murphy stood with his legs wide apart and knees bent, he had the eye of his shotgun aimed at the face of a rosy-cheeked child. The child looked at him with her eyes blown wide and a quivering bottom lip. She scrambled backward in the dirt on her hands and knees in an effort to get away from Murphy.

 

 

Right away, Bellamy dashed forward in front of Murphy. “Hey, she’s just a kid. Put your gun away.” Murphy looked from the firearm that was now firmly pressed into Bellamy’s chest and back at Bellamy. He slowly put down the weapon and watched Bellamy face the girl.

 

“What are you doing out here?” Bellamy looked at her intrigued. He recognised the ashen, cherubic face from last night. “Who are you? What is your name?”

 

The little girl grunted while picking herself up, looking sheepish. “Charlotte.”

 

“It isn’t safe out here for little girls, Charlotte.”

 

“I’m not a little girl!” Charlotte exclaimed while breathing hardly, effectively shocking them all with her tone of voice. “Do _not_ confuse me with your sister,” she looked pointedly at Bellamy. 

 

“Okay so she’s a brat, _not_ feeling sorry anymore.” Murphy grumbled.

 

This could have went one of two ways. They could either leave the girl –who would no doubt just be an extra weight to worry about-  _or_ they could cross their fingers and hope that she remembered how to get back to camp unharmed.

 

Bellamy studied her for a moment, his lips pressed in a thin line. He then threw her his pocket knife, "Alright then. Let’s move.”

 

 

∞

 

  _.: By the Bridge:._

 

Do you know the feeling you get after climbing an insanely long staircase? You know…where your legs feel like they are incapable of any and all movement? Well, that pretty much summed up the way Clarke felt at this very moment. She collapsed to her knees tilting her head back at the immense plantation of trees before her. It was all so vast that she felt like an ant kneeling before it all; a very _tired,_ ant.

 

She and Wells came to a break in the forest where a bridge loomed over a dark abyss; an abyss that was in no way welcoming, but then again that might have very well been the desired effect. As if the hanging corpses at the beginning of the bridge weren’t warning enough. Honestly, the butchered flesh was still loosely hanging from the dried out bones clothed by a buzzing swarm of flies. Not to mention, the forest on the other side was achingly still compared to the forest on their part. No birds chirped, no wind blew, no trees shook. It had grounder written all over it.

 

 

Wells hadn’t spoken the entire journey and Clarke couldn’t be more thankful. She just wanted to focus on getting Finn back. Yet she allowed herself this moment to just breathe in the humid afternoon air. Her eyes were closed when she felt a slight tremor in the ground next to her.

 

“Clarke…” Wells said her name in a warning tone, “I think you should get up now.”

 

She dared open her eyes to spot a red feathered arrow sitting in the grass right beside her shin. Clarke choked up on the air caught in her throat and unwillingly her hands had began to tremble, grabbing at the hairs of undergrowth beneath her.

 

“Clarke, get up.”

 

Clarke stared into the threateningly still forest and forced herself to swallow the acidic fluid in her mouth, back down to her stomach.

 

 

She was just so tired right now and she didn’t ask for this.

 

She didn’t ask to have her father stifled and skinned by the unforgiving claws of space. She didn’t ask for a blundering mother who would risk the life of her own child for a selfish purpose. She didn’t ask to be called _Princess_ and have throttled upon her the obligation of ninety-nine lives or who knew –it might have been ninety-eight now. But that didn’t make her feel any less compressed. _No._ She didn’t ask for any of this down-right fuckery.

 

 

She believed that the grounders were camouflaged by the forest, quietly mocking her and so she hollered for their undivided attention. “Where the hell is Finn!?!”

 

Clarke was infuriated at this point and the anger bottled up inside of her warmed her blood, but no matter how angry she was, she was also helpless. And so it was in a more pleading than demanding tone that she rasped, “Please!” A tear traile down the curve of her cheek, but she hadn’t stopped there, desperate. “We come unarmed! I just want to talk!” Still on her knees, Clarke turned to Wells and hissed at him, “Jaha, put your weapon down _now_. Put it down!” She demanded and faced the forest once more. “Please!”

 

Wells reluctantly did as told and mimicking Clarke, he situated himself on his own knees in a surrender’s stance. Clarke's palms were held high, showing submission she sniffled and waited. It was so eerily quiet that she'd started to question her sanity, and without a thought she threw a pebble at one of the corpses for the buzzing of the flies to start-up again.

 

Nothing gave away their presence but Clarke knew that they were watching. She could feel it, the many eyes fixated on her.

 

Wells looked next to him at Clarke doubtfully. He spoke low and cautiously, “I don’t think that-“

 

 _“Shut up.”_ Clarke hissed as straight ahead on the opposing end of the bridge, an oak brown stallion put one hoof before the other, emerging from the viridian woods, slowly pacing itself until it stopped at the center of the bridge. Wells and Clarke both inhaled at the horse’s beauty, but when their eyes trailed up towards its rider they are both dumbfounded.

 

From atop her horse, a woman with grease encrusted blonde locks dourly gazed at the two Sky People through the slit of condescending, slanted eyes; those very eyes that were masked by a slab of obsidian colored clay. Her forehead was short and flat and her nose was narrow, like an inverted arrow pointing down to the thin line of her grayish tinted lips. Inside of Wells' head, he had thought that she looked very much like a raccoon, but Clarke found the grounder woman to be hauntingly exotic.

 

“Why do you come here?” The grounder’s voice was orotund in her thick accent and it caused Clarke to stand up and find her own. She wasn’t sure all grounders knew English. “Can I please –“ Clarke began to say as she cautiously crossed the remaining half of the bridge until she was cut short.

 

“Do you not understand that these grounds are not yours to walk upon, _sky girl_?”

 

“I just need –“

 

“Your insolence will cause you your life.”

 

Clarke didn't take the grounder’s disrespect well, becoming impatient she growled, “ _The wolf!_ Take me to the wolf.”

 

Anya raised her chin higher at the blonde’s uproar. “You know not what you are asking for, sky girl.”

 

Suddenly, Clarke heard a thump behind her and by the time it dawned on her that Wells had dropped motionless on the bridge, she felt a prick at her neck. Her vision and thoughts quickly becoming muddled thereafter, but they were still (barely) clear enough for Clarke to yank a minute sized dart from the skin near her throat.

Anya was retreating from the bridge on her horse as two other grounders fell from the trees to run and retrieve the two anaesthetised sky people.

 

 

∞

 

_.: At a Grounder's Village:._

 

There was a long and defined hum sounding out loud and everything was dark.

 

_Had night fallen already?_

 

_No._

 

Clarke’s eyes flew open and the reverberating hum which was all that she could hear soon grew into distinct jeering. She felt heated with every breath she took, but that was expected when there was a sac tied over your head, masking your vision and preventing room for fresh air.

Beneath her felt cold, though, and she tried sitting upright only to slip back into an expanse of mud and hurt her shoulder. Her hands were bonded together. So were her feet.

 

Out of fear for the unknown, Clarke squeezed her eyes shut tight.

 

Soon enough the sac was yanked from her head and the jeering became clearer and much louder. She was then forced to sit up in the mud and looked frantically around her as her eyes adjusted to the light of a countless amount of torches.

 

Pure shock stole Clarke’s features.

 

There had to be well over five hundred grounders there. That’s five times the amount of sky people back at camp, and more. The Princess’ attention was drawn by Wells’ groan next to her as a sac was removed from his own head. Grounders surrounded them at each cardinal point except for the north where Clarke turned to face.

 

She gaped.

 

Before her there was a wide staircase upon which there was the remnant of a statue. At least that’s what Clarke believed. It was hard to think with all the outrageous shouting in a language she could not decipher. But yeah, it looked like a… _foot_? Clarke’s brows furrowed in uncertainty. A cemented foot clad in a sandal that was broken at the ankle lay tilted upon the staircase.  The blonde hadn’t a clue of what the hell was going on and searched the crowd behind her looking for the grounder woman from the bridge.

 

There was so much commotion and grounders were like chameleons; masked and difficult to point out.

 

Luckily for Clarke, the jeering soon died down and she could once again hear herself think. But that luck dried up the second all grounders dropped to their knees and bowed. “What in the world is happening?” The blonde mumbled astonished and turned to see a woman lounging on the cemented foot.

 

“ _Klark,_ _Prises kom Skaikru.”_

Only the flickering of flames from torches disrupted the silence that fell.

_Palpitations_ , the blonde breathed deep and slowly. Had she not already been sat on the ground, that voice alone would have made Clarke fall to her knees. It was scary how mesmerised she was and Clarke shook her head, trying to rid herself of her unhelpful thoughts.

 

Still bowed, grounders addressed their leader. _“Heda kom Luna en Luna kom Heda,”_ came from the assembly of strong voices.

 

 _“Yaxi ai gonas.”_ The woman commanded, _rise my warriors._ And they did. All on one accord the grounders rose from their knees but remained quiet.

 

“Clarke, Princess of the Sky People. You have requested my presence. What business do you have with me?”

 

For a second Clarke was stunned by the articulacy of the grounders' leader, but more so she was baffled by the way the woman addressed Clarke. However, the blonde shrugged it all off, recalling her entire reasoning for being here. “Finn.” She said determinedly, “Where is he?”

 

The woman looked relaxed as ever and not at all surprised by Clarke’s question as she toyed with a pointed dagger in her hand. She’d been around the _skailings_ long enough to understand that Clarke cared for her people a great deal, especially those she considered to be her friends. “Your friend is not allowed to see the dark of night, let alone the light of day,” the grounder leader finally replied, however vague.

 

A lump unwillingly formed in Clarke's throat as she thought of the worst case scenario. Gritting her teeth, Clarke shakily spat out, “where… _is he_?” She glared hard at the nonchalant woman.

 

 _“Indra, hon op em.”_ The grounder leader commanded.

Soon after a dark woman –Clarke recognized as the same woman from the invasion- pulled forth a length of chains that clanked on the cement of the staircase. Clarke shudderd when she saw Finn on the end of those chains, his face painted in streams of blood from the crown of his head. _Indra_ kicked the hinges of Finn’s knees causing him to drop.

 

“Oh my go- Finn, no!” Tears were pooling in Clarke’s eyes. “Why did you do this to him?” Clarke screamed at the grounder commander.

“He has committed a crime that is punishable by death, Clarke.” The commander replied smoothly. “You were there,” the woman looked to Wells, “and so was he.”

 

The blonde fumbled for her words, “What- you – what the hell are you talking about?!”

 

“Threatening the life of _Heda,_ sky girl! You speak to _Heda_ with respect!” Dragging the chains, Indra had sprinted to the last step looking menacingly down at Clarke. “He will pay for his crimes.”

 

Clarke swallowed her tears and concluded that crying would solve nothing. Conjuring strength and courage from what little she had inside of her, Clarke adjusted her feet and hands. Unceremoniously, she managed to stand despite her constricting shackles and matched Indra’s fierce look. “ _You_ are not in charge. I am speaking to the one that is.”

 

The dark woman’s hands tightened around the rusted chains and as if sensing that she were about to give the sky girl the dry back of her fist, the commander halted her, _“Indra, gyon au ouder.”_ At the commander’s order, the dark woman reluctantly pulled away from the sky girl -baring amber, rotted teeth, she stepped aside.

 

Once she faced the commander again, Clarke proposed. “Let me take his place. It is my fault he is in this mess. He was only trying to protect me.” Clarke’s eyes flickered to Finn who was supposedly trying to protest with Clarke through his painful groans. She ignored him, looking back to the commander.

 

The commander got up from the cemented foot and slowly approached the Sky Princess. “Let me take his place. _Please_.” Clarke repeated, only she spoke softer now that the grounder’s leader was but a foot away.

 

“You are certain, _Skai Prises,_ that you want to bare the crimes of this boy?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And what of your people? Who will lead them if you are gone?”

 

Clarke’s throat bobbed. “Let me take his place.”

 

The commander hummed and looked to the sidelines of the staircase. _“Onya.”_ She called and an unspoken conversation occurred just by the call of the grounder’s name. The woman came to the foot of the stairs and in one swift movement she connected the sole of her boot with Wells’ jaw. Only then had Clarke seen the gag in his mouth. _Go figure,_ Clarke thought but cringed at the kick that had Jaha wheezing up blood. The boy suffered Anya’s assault until he blacked out. 

 

The commander held up her hand, _“Odon.”_ And a male grounder proceeded to throw Wells’ limp body over the back of a horse. Soon after he dragged an injured Finn and tossed him over the horse as well, right on next to Wells. He spanked the ankimal's hip with his thick palm and the horse whinnied, galloping off.

 

“What was that?” Clarke’s eyes bulged.

 

“The horse will take them back to the other side of the bridge. I’m sure they’ll manage from there.”

 

“Really?” Clarke looked to the commander doubtfully.

 

The commander stepped away from Clarke and said to Anya, _“Sis op Skai Prises.”_

 

_Take the Sky Princess._

 

 

∞

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penny for thy thoughts?


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not the creator of the Trigedasleng language but due to the fact that I do not speak the language and there are no good translators online, I have resorted to making up words that I could not find the translations for. I will translate in English the words that I have made up in the end note. If anyone has a problem with that you can make a figurative U-turn.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. 
> 
> Mistakes are my own blah blah.
> 
> [Edited]

 ∞

 

 

**_"Take the sky princess."_ **

 

∞ 

 

 

At the commander’s request, Anya held a tight grip on Clarke’s arm as she dragged her away from where the grounders were assembled, and went towards a skillfully constructed hut. Once inside the hut Clarke was given no time to look around the main chamber before she was pulled into a room lit up by an array of candles. Within the center of the room there was a dark, circular tub crafted from marble that was filled with water giving off streams of steam. A sweet essence burned in the air and Clarke’s eyes fell upon the four women inside the room, aside from Anya and herself.

 

Each woman’s hair was pulled back into one big braid and they all wore the same attire. They stood in a line as though they were waiting for some sort of instruction to be given. Clarke’s best guess was that they were handmaidens. Clarke’s eyes fell to the tub once more and given her filthy state, she found it very tempting to slide into. Beside the tub a grooming table of sorts was covered by plush towels and there were various little glass jars, along with other instruments and knickknacks.

 

Anya turned to Clarke and removed the bonds from around her wrists while one of the four women bent down to remove the bonds at Clarke’s ankles.  Anya accepted the rope from the handmaiden and said to the four women whilst gesturing at Clarke; “Upon order of the _Heda_ , she is to be thoroughly and carefully prepped.”

 

“Divest yourself of your clothing and get in the tub. You stink.” Anya said to Clarke before leaving the room.

 

One of the handmaidens also left the room through an adjoining door. The second handmaiden moved towards the tub and from the table she opened a bottle and poured a healthy amount of the bottle’s contents into the tub’s simmering water. A lather formed in the water and a fizzing noise could be heard.The remaining two handmaidens looked at Clarke with blank expressions on their faces as they stood in waiting for the sky girl to act.

 

The blonde, however, stared motionless and warily at the two handmaidens. Clarke was extremely confused about what was going on. Wasn’t she now supposed to be starved and rotting away in a cell for Finn’s actions? Or maybe tied to a pole as the commander subjected her to being lashed, until she took her last dying breath. But instead of either horrifying consequence, she was standing before two grounder girls as they patiently waited for her to take off her clothes and immerse herself into the sizzling water.

 

Clarke reminded herself of the fact that she had no control in her current situation. She put her life on the line to get Finn out of here and back to safety, and because of that she had a debt to pay. Besides, even if she tried to escape, there were hundreds of grounders just outside this hut that would not hesitate to remove her head from her shoulders. She took a deep breath and gazed down at her own form. She was hesitant to remove her clothes in front of the women but…her nails were caked with dirt, her hair smelled awful, and she could easily be mistaken for a brunette instead of a blonde given how much mud it was caked with. There were rips and tears in the legs of her pants, as well as the arms of her jacket. She was also pretty sure if she were to take off her boots her feet would smell sour.

 

Her eyes flickered to the tub again and she sighed, slowly shrugging off her jacket.

 

 

∞

 

∞

 

 

Inside the room was incredibly humid.

 

Clarke inhaled through her nose as a washcloth was brought over her shoulders and down her breasts. She gasped and went to push the hands away when two other sets of hands tenderly took her wrists and pulled them back. When she had first dipped her feet into the bath a moment ago, the heat from the sizzling water lured her to immerse her entire naked body into the marble tub. It soothed her aching muscles but it didn’t manage to alleviate her uneasiness. She breathed as the hand holding the washcloth and fragrant soap moved on down her belly and over her legs. Even though they did not once speak to her (or each other), the handmaidens were gentle with Clarke; which was a surprise to the blonde because based on what she’s seen so far, grounders were _anything_ but gentle.

 

While one of the handmaidens finished cleansing her skin, the other moved behind Clarke. Out of Clarke’s line of vision, a separate basin containing warm water and a cup was placed on a tall stool near the tub. Clarke’s golden hair was gathered in the grasp of two wrinkled hands and the cup of water was poured from her hairline and drizzled to the nape of her neck. Agile fingers massaged suds into her hair until it was all mud ridden and sweet smelling.

 

When the two handmaidens near the tub were done with Clarke, the third one stood near the steps of the tub and offered Clarke a big plush towel to dry herself off. As the blonde slowly stood, rivulets of water ran the course of her slender arms and firm, pale thighs. Her hair was towel dried and she was lead to a table to lay on her back. Clarke shivered from the cold and held the towel tightly wrapped around her frame. She intently watched the elderly handmaiden working with her back turned, grabbing at vials.

 

Clarke wondered if this was how they treated all their prisoners; by bathing and pampering them.

 

None of what was happening right now made any sense to the sky girl. She recalled what Anya had told the handmaidens earlier. _“Upon order of the Heda, she is to be thoroughly and carefully prepped.”_

 

What does she mean ‘prepped’? Prepped for what?

 

When the grounder woman finally turned back around she held up a wooden scoop with what looks like a soft yellow paste in it. “What is that?” Clarke raised her head off the table to get a better look. Her brows furrowed, “is that…is that _butter?_ ”

 

The grounder did not answer the sky girl. Instead she just calmly coaxed Clarke to lay back down. Once she had, she reached for a paintbrush and dipped it in the paste and unfolded the flap of the towel wrapped around Clarke.

 

The blonde tightly closed her eyes and hardly clutched the sides of the table. She was not ashamed of her body neither was she not willing to comply with the handmaidens (she gave up every right to her free will for Finn) but she didn’t like that she was purely clueless about what was happening; especially while being in the exposed state she was. Her breath hitched when she felt the brush coated with paste running over her pubic hairs. The bristles of the sodden brush lapped back and forth at the apex of her thighs causing Clarke to shiver. After the entire area of her pubic bone was covered in the concoction, the handmaiden coated her legs and then the armpits. The paste felt cool, like if you were to pour rubbing alcohol on your skin and blow against it. The grounder woman put aside the now empty wooden scoop and returned with a sharpened, clean, chrome blade.

 

Clarke’s eyes blew wide and she shot upright on the table. _First a hot bath…then they slather me in butter- at least I think it’s butter…now a knife that looks sharp enough to slice concrete is millimeters away  from dicing me up into bits. This is all the Commander’s doing. Is this what I get for helping the Wolf?_

The sky girl paused her inner monologue. “Wolf…” Her jaw hung low as she contemplated Anya’s words yet again, Clarke was staring aimlessly until a metaphorical alarm went off in her head. “The commander…the _Wolf…_ no.” Clarke shook her head in disbelief of her theory, but nothing else made sense to her as to why she was being given this kind of treatment. She voiced her thoughts, her head jerking in the direction of the handmaiden, “am I being prepped as _Wolf food?!”_

Clarke inhaled hard, only then realizing that the grounder woman had shaved every inch of both her legs with the sharpened knife. The handmaiden was now wiping the last of hair from the sky girl’s left calf from the knife to a small cloth. Oils were rubbed into the blonde’s freshly shaven legs to make her skin soft and supple. Clarke sat motionless staring at her naked limbs until she allowed her back to fall back into the towels beneath her, “it all make sense now. I’m the wolf’s aphrodisiac,” the sky girl mumbled frantically.

 

Ignoring Clarke the handmaiden brought the clean knife to her pubic bone. She looked the blonde in the eyes as if to say ‘ _be still’_ and then she reaped all the blonde hairs from the sky girl’s sex. When the elder woman rubbed in the oil over the hood of Clarke’s vagina it was in no way sexual, the handmaiden was expressionless and behaved as if what she was doing was nothing more than a chore. After she had done the same with Clarke’s armpits and Clarke was helped down from the table, the handmaiden who had left earlier had returned. There was an expanse of fabric thrown across her outstretched forearms and she proceeded to hold it up before Clarke. _“Oh?_ ” the sky girl breathed out studying the garment she was to wear.

 

 

She was helped into her clothing and now the front of her hair was being combed backwards for nimble fingers to plait two braids to the back of her head. The braids were tied where they intersected and the remainder of her hair fell over her back like a waterfall of honey. It was wavy as it usually would be after being air-dried. When the four handmaidens were done with their individual tasks, a looking glass was brought in front of Clarke.

 

The sky girl instantly flinched at her reflection, almost certain that it was not her own.

 

Clarke was adorned in all white. She wore a beautifully crocheted top that cupped her breasts and ended at her ribcage. It snugly hugged her torso and was secured by two ties, one around her neck and the other behind her back; leaving her shoulder blades and the majority of her upper back exposed. To accommodate her top, she also wore a pair of soft, crocheted, cotton shorts that was interwoven with lace. It fitted her thighs loosely and was tied above her navel.

 

The sleeve of the silk kimono wrapped around her shoulders fell to the hinge of her elbow when she reached for her face. Clarke was in awe at how her skin appeared to glow. Her fingertips grazed her cheek bone and her pores felt like they could finally breathe.

 

“I did not know you were so vain, _Klark._ ”

 

Broken from her trance, Clarke’s head spun from the looking glass to the direction of the grounder’s commander. The handmaidens hurriedly excused themselves from the room, bowing their heads in reverence as they each exited the doorway with a soft acknowledgement of _“_ Heda _.”_

 

 

Clarke’s gaze flashed to the departing women and back to the striking green eyes scanning her person. Her heart rate increased and she took some steps back to put distance between herself and the Wolf. When the door closed there fell a heavy silence and the blonde just stared at her until spitting out, “Do you eat all of your prisoners?”

 

An indescribable expression crossed the commander’s face until it formed into one of amusement and she slowly advanced upon Clarke.

 

“What are you smirking for? Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?” She sounded confident but she wasn't. In her mind a ravenous wildling was about to have her for dinner and she was completely defenceless. She had backed up until the heels of her feet bucked into the concrete wall behind her and the commander was then only a hair’s breadth away.

 

 _“Yu laik unbre…”_ the commander’s breath caressed the skygirl’s lips. _“Yu laik nodaun…en yu laik_ hitse _buayonon.”_ She reached forth and softly brushed her fingers against the loose, blonde hairs at Clarke’s temple.

 

Clarke grittted her teeth in frustration and closed her eyes. Not only was the wolf too close for her mind to function efficiently but she was speaking in a language that Clarke didn't understand.

“I don’t know what you’re saying!” Her eyes flickered open with her exclamation and her throat became tight. For all Clarke knew, this wildling could have been commencing a form of witchcraft over her. And for that, the blonde wanted to shove at the commander’s armoured chest but was too afraid to touch her. “Are you going to eat me or not?” she asked impatiently. 

 

There was that smirk again and the commander’s pupils seemed darker, “not yet,” the brunette said. “Come with me.”

 

The sky girl stared baffled at the commander’s outstretched hand. “Come with you? Come with you where? You're speaking as if I know you enough to trust you.”

 

“I am the commander of a nation of loyal and unrelenting warriors who would bring me the heads of my enemy if I so wish it. I am Lexa, Heda of the _Trigedakru_ and that’s all you need to know.”

 

Clarke swallowed hard and after a moment she thought to herself ‘ _well what choice do I have?’,_ right before taking _Lexa’s_ outstretched  _palm_.

 

They left the bath chambers hand in hand, Clarke footing behind Lexa who took them through the main chambers and into another. This one was candlelit as well but bigger than the bath chambers. There was a short, mahogany, table in the middle of the floors that was polished and set for two; if the two chairs on the opposing ends were any indicators.

 

Lexa released Clarke’s hand and guided her towards the table by the small of the blonde’s back. She pulled out the chair for Clarke and ignored the suspicious looks being thrown at her from the sky girl. Once Clarke was seated she took her own seat. Just then platters of food was brought in the chamber and set on the table before Clarke. The blonde’s stomach was hollow and the smells of different cooked meats and just about everything else prepared before her caused saliva to gather in her mouth.

 

Clarke was ready to dig right in but she looked across from her. “Wait, you’re not going to eat?”

 

Lexa sat erect with her clasped hands atop the table. She raised her brow and lifted her chin. “You think the food is tainted.”

Clarke said nothing but her silence was confirmation enough. The commander calmly got up and walked the short distance to the opposing end of the table. She took up a fork and knife and cut off a portion of grilled red meat. Clarke’s breath caught in her throat as she watched her fork disappear between the commander’s lips. She chewed and then she swallowed and Clarke looked as if she expected Lexa to start puking up blood or pass out or something else of the nature. But nothing happened except for Lexa taking up the silver cup filled with wine and drinking the warm liquid. She lightly smiled while licking her lips at Clarke and put the wine cup to the sky girl’s own lips.

 

Clarke still didn’t trust the commander but felt that it would be safe to eat the meal being given to her. So she indulged Lexa and drank from the cup placed to her mouth. All the while she drank, not once did she avert her eyes from the commander.

 

A while later and she was finished with her meal. The empty platter was carried away and Clarke wondered what next was in store for her. Lexa hadn’t said anything else after she prompted Clarke to taste the wine; she had just remained at her end of the table studying the blonde’s movements, which was quite unnerving for Clarke.

 

“Did you enjoy it?” Lexa pulled out Clarke’s chair and offered her hand yet again for the blonde to take.

 

“It was good, yes. But I’m confused, Lexa. Aren’t you going to have me killed? I... Finn-”

 

“You have something near your mouth.” Lexa interrupted to wipe her thumb near the corner of Clarke’s lips. It was a tinge of sauce and the commander licked it away from her thumb causing the sky girl to blush brightly. “Come on.” She led Clarke from the dining chambers into another room. Maids were just leaving when they entered the room.

 

This one unlike all the others had only two lanterns lit inside, one on the wall near the door and the other was on the wall beside a bed. Clarke gaped at the size of it thinking it was big enough for a mammoth to rest in. Pelts were strewn across the floors and the bed was covered by soft, hefty furs. It was too dark to see anything thing else inside the bed chambers.

 

“You’ll be staying in here,” said the commander. She led Clarke to the bed and moved to turned down the pelts, motioning for Clarke to get in. The second the sky girl’s head met the pillows the blonde sighed and sunk deep into the bed, inhaling the delightful aroma that clung to the bedding.

 

Lexa fought the urge to smile and turned to blow out the lantern near the side.

 

Clarke’s mind was hazy at this point; she was far beyond comfortable and too exhausted to move.

 

Lexa noticed this, “sleep now,” she said. “We have much to do tomorrow.”

 

 

∞

 

 

_.:Just Outside the Hut:._

 

“Heda, are you sure of the sky girl? I do not think that she should be trusted.”

 

“I will not talk to you about this again. Leave it alone, Indra.” Lexa turned from Indra to the guards posted in front of the hut’s entrance. “Nobody is to enter this hut without my permission. Are we clear?” They all nodded in understanding and Lexa stalked off without a second glance.

 

 

∞ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buayonon – pronounced boo-way-oh-nun meaning beautiful.
> 
> Nodaun – pronounced no-dawn meaning brave.
> 
> Hitste – pronounced heet-stay meaning extremely. 
> 
> Unbre – pronounced oon-bray meaning strong.


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Okay so I know that the actress who plays Lexa does not have blue eyes but in my head I picture the Commander with blue eyes and Clarke with grey eyes. I roll with my imagination, okay? The hell with what’s real. It’s called fiction for a reason.
> 
> [[UPDATE: I CHANGED IT TO WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS. Sooo lexa has green eyes and clarke has blue eyes 9/2/2016]]
> 
> Happy reading <3
> 
> Mistakes are my own.
> 
> [Edited]

∞

 

 

_.:West of the Sky People’s Camping Ground:._

 

Her head felt heavy and there was an excruciating pain in her neck. Slowly, Raven raised her head. Looking dazed, she studied her surroundings. For a second her mind was blank and she forced herself to recall her last coherent memory. When her thoughts caught up to her and she _seriously_ studied the scenery around her, the mechanic coughed and gasped in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that she had made it to the ground in one piece, save for the agonizing pain she was in.

 

Still laid back in the seat of the pod, Raven turned her head to the side and saw that the door of the pod was broken off from the impact it made with the ground. Easing herself forward, Raven moved slowly to stand outside of the dilapidated chunk of spacecraft. When her feet touched the ground, her face lit up and she rushed to remove her helmet, practically panting in anticipation of that first, sweet breath of fresh air.   


 

The first breath on earth, to her, was like a fish being taken out of fresh water and plopped into the salty embrace of the ocean. For the first time she wasn’t confined by cold, metallic, gray walls breathing in ‘synthetic’ oxygen. Instead, Raven laughed throwing her arms out and head backwards breathing in the freshness of earth. And as if on cue, there was a breeze that rushed by, and the happiness she felt from being liberated caused her to stick out her tongue. She knew it was silly of her but she didn’t care, and she swore she could taste the colors of the wind.

 

After she calmed down some, she took notice of the small black crater surrounding her that was caused by the crash. The sound of static came from the radio inside the pod. Raven rushed to the sound and fiddled with the tuning knob of the radio in an effort to clear up the station. The radio buzzed; “…d-doo… _zzff_ … _Rave-n…_ ”

 

Raven snatched the headset from the console and quickly adjusted the microphone to her lips. “Hello!” She continued turning the knob trying to find a clear signal. “Hello, can anyone hear me?” The buzzing turned into a high pitched scream right before it stopped.

 

“Hello? Raven are you there? I need you to answer me. Raven?” The voice was still raspy, but clear enough to understand.

 

“Abby!” Raven smiled at the older woman’s voice. “Abby, we did it! I made it and it’s so much more beautiful than I imagined it would be.”

 

“Raven, are you there?”

 

“What?” The mechanic’s brows furrowed, “Yes, Abby, I’m here.” The static got worse again and after turning the knob in either direction, Raven could no longer pick up any sound from the radio. “Shit!” She yanked the headset off her head only to find that it had not been connected to the device. Tracing her fingers down the cord, they stopped where the plastic of the wire was melted. Before she began to panic, someone called from behind her.

 

“Hey!”

 

Raven spun around. At the edge of the crater stood a group made up of three guys, a girl, and a child. Raven knew none of them personally but she knew that they were from the 100. This caused Raven to smile widely at the thought of Finn no longer being constellations away but rather, just a few miles. This also confirmed for Raven that the 100 have been down here for a few days and by the looks of things – they were fine health-wise. She should send a message to Abby, she needed to tell her that life _was_  sustainable on Earth and they could all come to the ground.

 

They could all come back home...as soon as she got the radio and headset fixed.  

 

 

 

∞

 

 

_.: The Exodus Camping Grounds :._

 

Walking onto the campsite Raven observed the environment. The mechanic shortly exhaled a puff of air, a little in disbelief while thinking that for a group of ‘delinquents’ they sure as hell seemed to be handling themselves quite alright. Members of the 100 had all stopped their course of actions and curiously stared at the girl in the spacesuit. Raven hadn’t notice she was the center of attention though, instead her gaze focused on the Exodus lodged sharply into the ground. She had brought back the radio from the pod she crash-landed in along with whatever else that was miraculously salvaged.

 

Bellamy walked up beside her. “Ya know…I don’t get why you’d want to do this.”                                 

 

“Yeah?” Raven hadn’t bother to look at him. “And I don’t get why you wouldn’t want me to do this but either way, it’s happening.”

 

She was annoyed, to say the least. After she got their help, she divulged to Bellamy and the others the reason for her impromptu departure to Earth. And the entire way back to the Drop Ship Bellamy has not-so-subtly been trying to persuade her to not make contact with the Ark.

 

“Hey!” He grabbed her bicep tugging her close to him, “I didn't have to help your ass out back there,” he admitted with a pointed look. “PLease, don't make me regret it.” His voice lowered, “listen if you let those people know about what we’ve got going on down here, everything will change and nothing good will come from it. Down here…” he looked away from her towards the others, “we’re free, Raven. We make the rules. Do you really wanna mess that up?”

 

To some extent Raven agreed with Bellamy’s reasoning for not wanting to notify the very people that sentenced them to their potential deaths. She could very well understand the need for freedom seeing as though she was practically a prisoner for the most part of her life just as much as they were. But she also sensed that Bellamy had his own personal and selfish reasons for not wanting her to make the call to the Ark.

 

To her, Bellamy was not trustworthy, not by her standards anyway. Not to mention she surely did not like the fact that the boy felt he had the right to touch her and manhandle her as he pleased. She angrily yanked her arm out of his grasp and met him with a defying stance. “And if I don’t let _those people_ know of the better chance of a life there is down here, they will die; innocent _children_ will die.” Raven huffed out, “Look I don’t have time for this.”

 

She spun around from Bellamy and yelled aloud, “does anyone know a Clarke Griffin?!”

Raven had never really been keen on explaining herself to anyone and she had an objective to fulfil. She needed someone helpful and she figured  Abigail’s daughter would be the best decision.

 

The camp was eerily quiet for a moment.

 

“Nobody’s seen Clarke since this morning.” Monty came forth. “She just took off and-"

 

“Raven…?”

It was a broken sound coming from right behind her, and the mechanic would recognize that voice from anywhere. But she was afraid to turn around given how unsettling it sounded. She turned anyway and her fears were confirmed because there was Finn, barely managing to stand upright. “Cl-clarke,” he was able to stumble out before falling forward just as Raven broke from her stupor and rushed headlong fast enough to catch him. His face was bruised and covered in dried blood and Raven’s chin was wobbling as she fought back against an impending panic attack. Her hands were hovering, trembling over Finn’s face and she was way beyond shocked and uncertain of what to do.

 

A few steps behind Finn, Wells dropped face first into the dirt.

 

Bellamy stared at the two battered bodies, slightly shaken, then barked orders at those on guard to get them inside, shut the gates and surround the perimeter.

 

 

∞

 

Everything hurt.

As he gradually gained consciousness he could faintly hear someone sniffling over him. Involuntarily Finn coughed and he instantly regretted it, but no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, his thorax contracted and it pained his ribs causing him to groan long and hard.

“Finn?” Raven silently cried above him. “It’s okay, you’re okay.” She sounded more like she was trying to convince herself rather than Finn.

They were in the Drop Ship and Finn was laid out on a makeshift cot. He was out cold for the entire night and Raven stayed knelt at his side the entire time. At sunrise the guy named Monty had came in offering her something to eat but she didn’t have much of an appetite; which was weird because she hadn’t eaten anything that could even remotely be considered as food over the past two days.

She cradled Finn’s head in her lap. “Baby, how…” she trailed off and bit her lip in an attempt to keep from crying. Throughout the night Raven had already cried herself into a migraine and she figured it wouldn’t help the situation to start that up again. “What happened?” the mechanic croaked, “Who did this to you?”

Finn barely had his eyes open, “Raven…what are you doing here?” His throat was dry and Raven quickly gave him some water to relieve his discomfort. He saw that his girlfriend’s big, brown eyes were red and puffy and she looked insanely tired.

“Don’t worry about how I got here.” Raven looked down at him pointedly. “Answer me.”

Finn sounded out what seemed like a sigh, “…they took her,” he stated with remorse. “Where’s Wells?” Finn tried to look around the room but was pulled back down by Raven.

“You need to keep still.” She told him. “And that guy you came with, he’s asleep.” The mechanic harshly rubbed both tears and exhaustion from her face. “Now who is _‘her’_?”

A distorted vision of the blonde knelt on her knees flashed briefly in the boy’s mind. “A girl named Clarke. She saved my life.”

“Clarke?” Raven looked puzzled. “You mean Clarke Griffin?”

Finn met her gaze, “yeah. You know her?”

“No.” The girl shook her head slightly, “her Mom, she’s the one that got me down here.” Raven’s mind drifted to Abby and how she always oozed this sense of pride during the few times she ever talked about her daughter. “You said she saved your life. Where exactly is she, Finn?”

“She’s on grounder territory. Probably being-“ Finn’s words were cut off by an unfortunate fit of coughing. He scrunched up his face and held his sides.

“Here, drink some more.” Raven held the canteen of water. “Take your time, baby.”

Finn looked gratefully up at her and she planted a soft kiss on his perspiring forehead. He shifted more comfortably in her arms and took a deep breath before continuing. “When Arkers left Earth all those years ago, apparently not everyone went with them. Grounders are proof of that. These grounders… they look human enough but they’re bullshit insane, Raven. They attacked our camp one night and took me with them. I don’t remember much after they took me but when I woke up, I was hanging upside down by my feet in chains. They tortured me until I blacked out again and the next time I woke up I see Clarke on her knees pleading for my life.”

Raven looked highly disturbed by this information, but continued listening as Finn stared aimlessly in thought. “There’s this... _thing_ that the grounders seem to worship. One night Clarke, Wells and I were out in the forest and this wolf came out of nowhere and had Clarke cornered…” Finn proceeded to tell Raven about how the rest of that night went and every other minute that lead up to this very moment. 

By the end of it all, Raven appeared as though she’d seen it all through Finn’s eyes. Every gruesome detail had her heart beating just a little faster, “…so they’re basically gonna’ crucify her?”

Finn frowned. “That’s if she isn’t already dead.”

 

 

∞ 

 

_-The following Morning-_

_.: The Grounders' Village :._

 

Clarke woke up to the presence of two handmaidens at her bedside. One held a tray of food and the other had some clean clothing slung over her shoulder. The blonde’s thoughts were muddled for a moment until she clearly recalled the previous evening. She was still lying on her back deep within the large expanse of furs and she covered her face with both hands, her voice coming out in a dry whisper, “dear God, what did I get myself into…?” She'd just had one of the best night’s sleep, but having two strange faces looking at her expectantly was not her ideal way to wake up and begin her morning.

 

A sudden, loud knocking caused Clarke to jerk upright from the furs of the bed. “Rise and shine carrier!”

It was Anya and she was still rapping her knuckles against the door to ensure Clarke was wide awake, or maybe it was just for the sake of being cruel. “Be quick with your meal,” the grounder woman gestured to the tray of breakfast being placed on a short table beside the bed, “and get dressed.” Clothing was placed on the lower end of the bed and the handmaidens left. “I will be waiting outside,” Anya said shortly and turned to leave before Clarke could question her.

 

Once the door was closed, Clarke slowly moved to sit at the edge of the bed with her legs swung over its side. She took a moment looking around the room and felt a strange sense of comfort due to how cozy it all was. She brought the furs up to her nose and inhaled deeply before sighing at its alluring scent. The blonde ate most of her food from the plate including a variety of both sweet and bitter fruits as well as a dish of different kinds of nuts. The only thing on the platter she hadn’t touched was a helping of what looked like Graham Crackers. Clarke picked one up, sniffed it and cautiously bit it, but it was as hard as a chip of old tarmac. She tried biting into it a little harder but it just wouldn’t break. She put the plate aside and got up from the bed, moving towards the wall the blonde forcefully dragged the cracker across the wall like a stick of chalk and it still didn't break.

 

“How the hell would I even digest this?” She shook her head putting it back on the platter before moving on to change clothes.

 

Once she’d put on the black leather pants, dark top and black boots that were a _little_ too big for her, she left the room and slowly walked down a candlelit hall. Handmaidens passed on by as she exited the hut through the main chambers; _they probably went to remake the_ _bed,_ Clarke thought.

 

“It took you long enough.” Anya grunted in agitation but Clarke’s attention was focused elsewhere.

 

The sky girl hadn’t really gotten a good look at the grounder’s village the night before. But here in the broad daylight where the sun is just rising, Clarke saw everything clearly and she was sort of at a loss for words. The village wasn’t over-the-top-beautiful by any means, but it was nothing like she expected it to be. She walked forth onto a cobblestone pathway, away from the hut and up the staircase where the cemented foot was situated. From the top of the stairs she noticed that the cobblestone travelled all throughout the village like veins in a leaf, dividing rows and different junctures of huts that were all pretty identical to nice, little cabins. Although, they were all small compared to the one she stayed in.

 

From her vantage point Clarke also saw a hefty, redheaded grounder woman stationed beneath a dark, covered pergola. The woman was sitting on a stump while banging a hammer down onto a sword laid out flatly in front of her. Just a ways over there were boars being herded into a wooden pen next to other pens of herbivorous, wild animals. The herd was being lead by a elder, lanky grounder man.

Grounder younglings ran on by the foot of the staircase chasing after two geese that escaped one of the pens. A group of tree people toted long logs over their shoulders in one direction, others were on a porch shaping clay pots and there was so much else going on in the village that Clarke didn’t quite comprehend. Yet, Clarke concluded one thing; grounders weren’t only mindless savages that sought out the blood of their foes, they were a close-knitted community.

 

“If you’re done foolishly staring now, follow me.”

Clarke was slightly startled by Anya’s voice.

“I’d say watch your step, but we both know that I'd rather see you fall,” Anya drawled, causing the sky girl to frown in dismay.  With her lips pulled into a tight frown, Clarke hesitantly trailed after Anya while descending the stairs. They weaved their way through a trio of horses being lead on the path and every grounder’s head turned when Clarke walked on by. After what felt like a never-ending trot through the village, they finally came to a ring of muddy ground that was encircled by tall and full mango trees and had a thick, towering, wooden pole at its center.

 

“Indra.” Anya greeted the warrior who stood in front of a group of grounder younglings. “Hir ste gada.” _Here is the girl._

The dark woman gave Clarke a look full of disgust and condescension. Scanning her from the tip of her boots to the crown of her head, Indra’s lips distastefully curled. Indra nodded to Anya who then left and the warrior turned yet again to the group of younglings, putting her back to the sky girl and outright ignoring Clarke’s presence.   

 

Clarke was left unsure of what she was suppose to be doing as she stood there feeling useless and very much aware of Indra’s aversion towards her. Then, unexpectedly a length of metal was thrown at the blonde’s feet causing her to jerk backwards. She nearly lost her balance and had to throw her arms out sideways to keep from falling in the wet mud. Clarke hardly had the chance to catch her breath before Indra called forth one of the younglings, “Micah,” she said strictly jutting her chin towards the sky girl, “gonplei.”

 

Clarke’s eyes blew wide looking from the sword at her feet to the young boy advancing towards her with a sword of his own, “what?” She asks Indra “you expect me to fight a child?”

 

There was a barely-there flicker of amusement in Indra’s eyes.

 

In one quick movement the curly haired boy charged towards Clarke and swung his blade with precision, leaving Clarke with a small nick on her arm. Clarke hissed in surprise then gritted her teeth in pain, clutching her right forearm to her chest. The cut wasn’t deep but she was now on defence. She looked up and across at the child who'd had sheer determination in his eyes, staring at her like a raging bull right as she hurriedly grabbed the blade from the ground. Her uncertain hands fumbled to get a secure grip on the weapon and her eyes flashed over to the other younglings who looked at her as though she was the most inept person there was.

 

“First rule sky girl,” the dark woman slowly walked around Micah and Clarke, “big surprises can come in small packages.” Behind Clarke she nodded to Micah as if to say _go ahead._

 

“Aaargh!” The young boy hollered as if at war and clashed his blade into Clarke’s, knocking her own weapon from her grasp and into the mud.

 

“Second rule: you control your weapon. Not the other way around.”

 

The boy abandoned his blade in favor of dashing across the mud and pointedly kicking Clarke in her right thigh. Before she knew it, the boy ran away returning to stand amongst his peers and Clarke was fumbling backwards.

 

She was about to hit the floor, but seemingly out of nowhere strong arms caught her from behind. “Rule number three…” Clarke shuddered at the warm breath that caressed the shell of her ear, “be sure of your footing, firmly stand your ground.”

 

From the very start Clarke had thought that commencing in combat on wet ground – apparently for practice nonetheless – was the most stupid decision to make. But the Commander continued, speaking directly into her ear, “you must make the most of your surroundings." She said, "There will come times where you may fight on uneven ground, rocky ground, or maybe even in a river.” And with that, whatever disagreement Clarke may have had with their methods had vanished.

 

The commander helped Clarke carefully stand upright before the blonde turned in her arms. The sky girl was baffled and mute and all about thrown off by Lexa’s appearance, her breathing accelerated and her hands rested against Lexa’s leather-clad chest. The commander’s expression was a bit more stern than what Clarke recalled from the previous night. 

 

“Are you alright, Clarke?”

 

Clarke continued to study Lexa’s features and without thought, she said something entirely odd and unexpected, “…my boots don’t fit.”

 

The commander’s lips oh-so-slightly quirked at one end as she moved back some to put space between she and Clarke’s abdomens. “Is that so?” Lexa looked down between them at the fine leather donned on Clarke’s feet.

 

“Mm-hm.” In this moment Clarke had unconsciously forgot the perplexing predicament she was in, in favor of basking in the proximity between her and the enchanting wolf.

 

And with that one word…` _wolf’_ … a voice at the back of her mind tried to warn her of her interactions with the Commander. The voice told her to “ _move away. Keep your distance.”_ And no matter how appealing she may seem, _“do not trust Lexa.”_

 

She was about to listen to that very voice but Lexa had plucked a ripe, yellow mango from a tree nearby. “You should try one.” The commander said softly to Clarke and pulled out a small, clean dagger from the armor across her chest. “They are…” she sliced a piece of the mango from its seed and guided it to the plump opening of Clarke’s mouth, “…really sweet.”

 

The sky girl does not know what’s compelled her to take a bite into the fruit, but she had no regrets as its flavor awoken her taste buds and the tips of the Commander's fingers softly grazed her lips. The fruit was succulent – as promised – and so was the look that overcame Clarke’s face.

 

 The look disappeared the minute Lexa moved away, though. She threw the remainder of the fruit into the trees and told Clarke to, “pick up the blade.”

 

Dazed from what just happened, Clarke cleared her throat and it took her a minute to process Lexa’s statement. She stood there very uncertain, unsure if she should do as she was told. 

 

“Go on, Clarke.” Lexa prompted and the sky girl skeptically and very slowly reached down for the length of metal while trying to keep an eye on the commander standing behind her.

 

From the sidelines Indra quietly stood with the entranced, little warriors. She herself observed the scene taking forth. Their _Heda_ approached the sky girl from behind and guided her toward the thick pole in the center of the wet ground. With both her hands resting on the sides of Clarke’s waist, the commander had steered her until they both stood just in front of the pole.

 

Not at all oblivious to the heat seeping into her skin through the material of her top from the Commander’s hands, Clarke noticed that there were an infinite amount of scratches and gashes marked into the wooden pole, but it still stood strong. She gulped when she felt those very hands glide up from her waistline, and soon the Commander was bracketing the blonde’s arms within her own sinewy limbs. The inside of Lexa’s hand cupped the back of one of Clarke’s palms and she brought in the other hand so that they both securely held the hilt of the sword.

 

This movement caused Lexa’s front to be pressed flush against Clarke’s back and again the sky girl found it difficult to breathe as she stared at she and Lexa’s conjoined hands. She tried to ignore the feel of the hard, firm body moulded to her back so that she could reign in her breathing instead. The commander squeezed the sky girl’s hands, “grip the blade as if it is an extension of you, Clarke.” She spoke from just over the back of the shorter girl’s shoulder, her fingers fell between the empty slots of Clarke’s hands. “Try not to put much thought into it, but feel it.”

 

The blonde’s eyebrows bunched at Lexa’s words, “what do you mean by _‘extension of me’_ and that I should _‘feel it’_?”

 

Lexa sighed. “Here”, she squatted just a little so that she could  put herself at Clarke’s height, and in doing so their cheeks were now brushing against each other, “I’ll show you.” 

 

Clarke’s eyes closed shut for a moment. _What is going on with me?_ Her eyes closed tighter. _Better yet, what’s the point of all this? Oh my God, she’s standing so close…and she smells so good and her cheek feels kind of soft and **what is wrong with me?**_

****

“Clarke?”

 

The sky girl’s eyes sprung open, “huh?”

 

Lexa’s head was turned a bit and those green eyes peer at Clarke, “you cannot fight with your eyes closed, Clarke. You’d be dead as quick and as sure as a flame burns.”

 

Clarke blushed, “right, sorry.” _Wait, why am I apologising?_

 

“Now, when you charge your sword,” Lexa swayed her arms slowly to the left and then to the right, swinging Clarke’s arms in the process as well. “You do not want to choke the hilt.”

 

She was allowing the sky girl to get the feel of how to handle the weapon and Clarke seemed interested asking, “Really? And why is that?”

 

“Imagine holding on too tightly to this sword and striking that pole with an incredible amount of force. Imagine the impact it would have, Clarke. The way the vibrations would resonate from the pole, make its way up your arm and into the socket of your shoulder.”

 

Clarke soon got the idea, “okay, then.” She loosened her grasp. “Now what?”

 

“Your feet.”

 

“My feet?” The blonde looked down puzzled.

 

“They mustn’t be so close together.” The commander put the toe of one of her boots between Clarke’s feet and she wriggled her foot coaxing Clarke to spread her legs a bit. “I could have you on your back in seconds with you standing like that…wouldn’t you say you’d be putting yourself at a disadvantage, Clarke?”

 

The sky girl’s nostrils flared. _Why does she say my name like that? So breathy and stressing every syllable as though she enjoys the taste of it in her mouth. And I’m almost certain there’s an innuendo in there somewhere._ “Yes, I guess so. How stupid of me.”

 

Lexa’s cheek was brushing against hers again as she spoke lowly so that only Clarke could here, “you are no fool, of that I’m certain, you just need to practice.” Clarke didn’t know how to respond so she didn’t, but the commander hadn’t expected her to say anything. “Always remember this, Clarke. Your footing and your hold on your weapon, two very important things. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes,” Clarke answered faintly. Her arms were beginning to ache and she’d had enough this.

 

Lexa noticed the smaller woman’s arms trembling somewhat, fighting to stay outstretched and not collapse at her sides. “One last thing I need you to do.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

The commander moved away from the blonde and folded her arms after pointing toward the pole. “Strike it.”

 

“Are you sure?” Clarke looked as though that wasn’t the best idea, yet Lexa nodded. She wanted to see what Clarke was capable of.  

 

Recalling what little Lexa had just taught her, Clarke ensured her feet were situated appropriately and her hands had a steady grasp on the blade. In a bout of courage Clarke then made a clear-cut swing at the jooked up pole and from the side Lexa smirked a little proudly. Clarke’s swing was intense as the blade collided into the pole and stuck there.

 

The commander saw great potential in the sky girl. “This was your first lesson,” she told Clarke. “You have a number of lessons left to go and they will get more challenging each time.”

 

Not entirely hearing Lexa, Clarke was just trying to pull the length of metal from the post when she tugged with such force that it suddenly popped from the tight split it made and a splotch of mud flew from the weapon and into the commander’s face.

 

Everyone gasped. Even Indra.

 

Clarke dropped the blade and her hands cupped her gaping mouth in shock. She stood a little afraid watching as the blotch of dark-brown slid from the commander’s closed eye and down her cheek.

 

 

∞

 


	8. VIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuing exactly from the previous chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer in previous chapters.
> 
> Mistakes are my own.
> 
> [Edited]

∞

 

 

For Clarke, the good thing was that that horrid training session was over.

 

As for the bad part, she had become the reason why the Commander was in such a foul mood.

 

Ever since they left _the_ _Loop_ _–_ Clarke had discovered that that was what grounders referred to it as – Lexa had not spoken to her once. She had simply accepted a cloth from Indra, slowly wiped her face off and shortly beckoned for Clarke to come along.

 

To relieve herself of some of the awkward tension she felt between herself and the Commander, Clarke fell back a few steps behind Lexa. She didn’t know what to say to the Wolf but the last thing Clarke wanted to do was to possibly agitate her any further. As she slowly walked by, she heard two kids from the sidelines who were squatting down behind some barrels.

 

“Ste bilaik em?”  _Is that her?_ A little boy whispered not so quietly to the little grounder girl squatting next to him. It hadn't mattered anyway because Clarke had zero clue as to what they were saying. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder.

 

“Sha. Bilaik ste anuplah nomon chat de.” _Yes. That's the alien mother talked about._

“Chit taim em gubbles strik tri kru?” _What if it eats little tree people?_

 

Both children looked at Clarke who was frowning curiously at them before they looked back at one another in horror and scampered away.

 

 _Weird kids,_ Clarke rolled her eyes and refocused her gaze to the Commander’s back. The stoic woman ahead of her had her head craned to look up towards the sunny sky and unwillingly the blonde’s eyes fell a little too low until she found herself staring at Lexa’s ass. She recalled that night Lexa had shifted on the forest floor, mesmerizing and very much naked. 

 

A horse whinnied out loud pulling Clarke from her thoughts as it galloped on pass her. Its rider was hastily walking along beside it while giving Clarke a nasty look. She decided to pick up her pace and shorten the distance between she and Lexa.

 

The Commander lead Clarke into a squared shelter constructed of rough oak. Waiting on Clarke, she held the door open for the sky girl to enter the cabin first. Clarke took a moment to admire the design of the door which was made entirely of bamboo sticks conjoined by thatch and tough strips of palm leaves. Once she got inside, she saw a man sitting beneath an array of lanterns as he intently weaved a needle in and out of an expanse of durable material, just along the edges. He looked up when he heard the door open, and instantly he stood to show reverence for the Commander’s presence.

He was tall, bronze-skinned and had elaborate, black markings that stopped just above the hinges of his elbows, peeking from the sleeves of his ratty t-shirt.  The grounder man was also quite muscular and held a stern expression on his face. His gaze fell to Clarke, making the sky girl shift from one foot to the other as sweat trailed from his bald head and ran down his temples.

 

“Lincoln, this is Clarke.” The Heda announced and the grounder man nodded respectfully in Clarke’s direction, but he kept  his expression stern. The commander turned to the blonde standing just beside her, “Clarke I would like you to meet Lincoln, York’s finest shoemaker.” The instant the Commander addressed her, the sky girl perked up relieved that she hadn’t messed up too badly at the Loop.

 

“Hi.” The sky girl said lamely. She looked away from the man and around the room. There were lots of wooden benches and shelves that housed shoes of all sorts. New shoes, brown shoes, used shoes and bruised shoes. Some were black but all were leather and Clarke grimaced at the thought of how many pigs and goats were slaughtered for this. There were also tools and simple contraptions Clarke was sure Lincoln used to efficiently carry out his craft.

 

“Lincoln, the shoes sent for Clarke earlier aren’t quite the appropriate size. Would you be able to fix that?”

 

The grounder man spoke for the first time, “would you like me to have them custom made or give her a used pair, Heda?”

 

“Custom made of course.”  The Commander stated while eyeing the girl beside her.

She hadn't bothered to talk to the skailing during their walk over because she was slightly thrown off by what had happened with Clarke at the training session moments ago. Despite her displeasure though, she had to remind herself to remain levelheaded if this agreement was to work. Had the circumstances been different – had it been anyone else to disrespect her (and publicly so), accidentally or otherwise, she would have had their eyelids and lips peeled off clean from their face.

But this was Clarke, her potential mate, and the Commander wanted to provide nothing but the best of what she could offer the girl; all for the sake of gaining her trust.

 

“Very well,” Lincoln looked towards Clarke, “take a seat right over there and remove your boots please.” He gestured to an empty bench.

 

Clarke sat as instructed on the high wooden structure and went to reach down to unlace her shoes, but surprisingly the Commander beat her to it. Lexa lightly brushed her hands against Clarke’s soft, pale ones. Gently nudging them away she said, “Let me.”

 

The blonde’s eyebrows rose in incredulity, “Really _?_ ”

Clarke was under the impression that Lexa wasn’t one to wait hand and foot on anybody; only  the other way around. SHe was confused by the brunette's behavior and so she glowered, yet the Wolf ignored the sky girl and proceeded to carefully remove her shoes for her.

 

Putting the discarded boots aside the bench, the Commander smirked.

 

“What is it?” Clarke asked with down-turned lips.

 

“Nothing,” the brunette’s smirk fell, “you just have really small feet is all.”

 

Clarke frowned even deeper and wiggled her toes against one another as if trying to hide each foot with the next. Lincoln had made his measurements and afterwards asked Clarke, “would you like them at the knees, calves or ankles?”

 

Clarke’s eyes flashed to the Commander for a moment, “um…calves?”

 

“And would you like them made of the top side of the animal’s hide or the underside?”

 

“…I’m sorry I don’t know what that is…”

 

Lexa cut in, “give her the top layer of the cow’s hide, Lincoln.” She then said to the blonde, “Suede can be difficult. I am sure you’ll like the full grain.”

 

Clarke pulled a face, "What...?"

 

 

∞

 

 

They left just as soon as they came and again Lexa held the door for Clarke. They made their way back onto the cobblestone pathway. Silence once again fell between the two and from her peripheral vision, Lexa could see Clarke’s disgruntled expression as she stared at all the strange faces looking their way. Clarke felt uneasy and didn’t like all the attention.

 

“What is this place?” she asked.

 

For a long moment the Commander looked keenly into the blue eyes that were pleading for answers. When she broke the gaze between herself and the sky girl, Clarke thought her question would go unanswered and her shoulders slumped a little.

 

“You are in the Village of York, Clarke.”

 

“Okay…?” The blonde slowly shook her head wishing Lexa wouldn’t be so vague. She wanted –no- _needed_ her to elaborate. “And you are the...what? You're the dictator here or something?”

 

The brunette sighed while locking her hands behind her back as she walked in stride with Clarke.  “I am Commander, not a dictator.”

 

“I really don’t see the difference. You lead an entirety of over at least five hundred of people, who  _literally_ bow down to you and apparently worship the dirt you walk on.”

 

“You mean thousands.”

 

“Sorry?”

 

“This is not the only Trigedakru village there is, Clarke.” 

 

The blonde gaped slightly, “Seriously? Well, how many more are there?”

 

“Excluding this one, there are about fourteen others. Each one has a _Charge_ – someone who conducts the affairs of the village and regularly reports back to me. Indra is the Charge of the Village of York and Anya is her Second _._ I stay at the capitol, Polis. It is the largest of the fifteen Trigedakru clans.”

 

The blonde unconsciously stopped in her tracks. She was glad to have gain some knowledge of the situation, but Clarke had take a moment to digest the fact that Lexa was literally the ruler of a legion and she couldn’t be much older than herself.   _I_

 _f this isn’t the biggest village…_ “Wait, so what are you doing here then?” She slowly started to resume walking.

 

“Word had been sent about you and your people’s crash to the ground. It was decided that I would stay here in York for the time being seeing that it is the closest to your campsite.”

 

 Clarke’s mind briefly wondered about her own people and how they were managing. She felt a little woeful at the thought, but still had no regrets about what she did.

 

They paused momentarily in front of the cabin Clarke stayed in the night before and Lexa soon spotted Anya heading their way. “Did you enjoy your meal this morning?” The Commander asked her.

 

Clarke thought for a moment. “Um, yeah. I did, except for the crackers.”

 

The Commander’s brows furrowed in confusion. _Crackers? What crackers?_

 

Clarke went on, “I wouldn’t have mind having one or two of them, but they were too hard to chew so I just left them.” 

 

Anya was approaching even closer and a flicker of clarity showed on the Commander’s face. Suddenly, she sent an ireful look toward York's Second, a look that promised a conversation that wouldn’t end nicely for Anya.

“Come on,” Lexa looked away placing her hand on Clarke’s lower back. She guided them into the Cabin and they entered pass through the main room and into the bath chambers.

 

The tub was already full with warm water and the same four handmaidens from before stood about with their heads bent. “Until further notice, these women will cater to your basic needs. After you’ve gotten cleaned up, lunch will be ready for you,” Lexa told her.

 

The Commander was about take her leave when Clarke quickly called out, “Wait!” Lexa turned back to listen to the sky girl. “Will you be dining with me?”

 

One of the brunette’s eyebrows rose and she licked her lips in contemplation. “Is that what you want, Clarke?”

 

The blonde stood still, her mouth in a grim line, before she shook her head. “No. I…was just curious, that’s all.”

 

“Hmm.” The Commander made no further comment and headed for the outside, anger resurfacing for what she was sure to come.

 

 

∞

 

 

Anya was not at all surprised by the first thing the Commander said to her as soon as she was on the outside of the cabin’s door. “Why did you have the attendants serve Clarke **stale** _Cavassi_?”

 

The Secondwas quick to protest, “Heda _,_ I assure you that I am only trying to prevent you from making an irreversible _mistake_.” She sounded pleadingly, “How can you not see that? You give this worthless outsider your cabin. You’re trying to teach her our ways when she is not at all deserving and you choose to entrust _her_ of all people to carry on the gene rather than someone from your own clan!”

 

The wolf’s eyes looked like flaming emerald stones as she growled viciously and in one swift motion the hard back of her fist struck Anya in the jaw. The grounder woman’s back collided violently with the cobblestone beneath her, but she hadn't bother to acknowledge the sharp pain taht ensued. She looked up at her seething Commander.

 

“I swear to any and all gods that there are, Anya , you had better mind your place.” The Commander’s voice rung low and the Wolf’s own gravelly bass rung with it. “If you dare question me again, it’ll be the last question you ever utter. From here on out, I wish to see you _nowhere_ near Clarke. Am I understood?”

 

 _Kohl_ was smeared across her cheek and a tear of blood escaped the corner of her mouth to trail down her chin and she wholeheartedly disagreed with her Commander. Still, Anya hung her head in submission, “I understand.”

 

 

 

∞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to give a glimpse of Lexa's childhood. Temperamental issues much?  
> NOT DIVERGING INTO A COSTIA/LEXA LOVESTORY!


	9. IX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all are so awesome and supportive and I appreciate that.

∞

 

 

The insides of her cabin were stuffy. Any spaces that were cutout within the walls which were made for ventilation were now closed off by wooden blinds and Anya bathed in the low lighting it brought. Her mind was far off, deep in thought; the scene with her Heda replayed itself over and over again inside her head. She just couldn’t for the life of her comprehend _why_ the Commander was doing what she was doing. It was like trying to put together a puzzle with all the wrong pieces.

 

The incident with Lexa left her fuming and understatedly agitated. And even now, with the soft fingertips of a beautiful woman caressing the contours of her naked stomach, she couldn't seem to shake off this pestering feeling. The woman saw the distress written on Anya’s face and slightly shifted beneath the furs to press a gentle kiss at the corner of the warrior’s bruised lip.

 

She frowned at Anya, “Do you want to talk about it?” the grounder woman’s heavy accent rung low in the silence of the cabin. There was an odd yet attractive quality about the way she spoke, placing emphasis on her _t’s_ and the natural lulling effect of her voice. The crease lines in Anya’s forehead slowly disappeared when she took in the concerned look on the woman’s face.

 

The warrior’s gaze returned to the ceiling of her cabin and the grounder woman rested her head on the frazzled warrior’s chest when Anya sighed. Anya was never one to talk about her feelings or express her personal thoughts.

 

A moment passed before Anya was able to find her voice. _“_ I gave the girl stale Cavassi _.”_

Cavassi was a potent mixture that was mainly comprised of dried grains of wheat, along with various other substances. For decades grounders have used it as a fertility treatment that increased the chances of pregnancy. Nearly almost every grounder knew that the chances of the concoction being successful were heightened by the fresher it was. If it was stale, it was in no way effective.

 

 The woman lying against Anya scrunched her face in confusion and silently beckoned for the warrior to go on.

 

Anya had a distant look in her eyes while the grounder woman was somewhat torn between the sound of Anya’s heart thudding through her chest, and actually focusing on what the warrior was saying.

“In case you hadn’t known, Heda is using the sky girl to pass on the gene. She intends to make her as fertile as possible and make an advancement towards the insipid skailing.” The warrior huffed out. “I for one think that she is being downright foolish, I mean, why on earth would the Commander want to tarnish the sanctity of our history? It just doesn’t make any _sense_.”

 

The pace of the warrior’s heartbeat had quickened considerably and the woman opted to press her lips into Anya's sternum to hopefully calm the blonde down some. “Anya, I’m sure the Heda has her reasons.” Despite the circumstances, the texture of the woman’s voice remained gentle.

 

The warrior snorted lightly. “Reasons that I am certain are negligible.”

 

“I thought you trusted her…do you not?”

“Gods forgive me but I believe that our Heda is thinking with the head in her trousers, rather than the one above her shoulders.” Anya couldn’t possibly frown any harder. “Which also confuses me to no end because the blonde girl is just as attractive as _Pauna_.”

 

Before the woman could even find the words to alleviate the clear agitation Anya felt, the warrior was suddenly getting up out of the bed and slipping her wrinkled underwear up her long legs. “I must go now. Indra is expecting me at the farm lands.”

 

Once she was fully dressed, she casted a glance toward the figure still in her bed. “And Echo, do not mention a word to a single soul about anything I just told you.”

 

Anya was oblivious to the sadness clouding Echo’s starry eyes. “You should know me better than that,” she said.

 

The warrior stood still near the door of her cabin, unblinking, she hummed. “Right.”

 

Tight lipped, she left.

 

 

∞

 

 

It had been two weeks since the incident with Anya.

 

The same incident that remained unbeknownst to Clarke who so happened to be finding herself a routine. Each morning she rose with the sun, had breakfast and then it was off to training with Indra and the younglings. Indra would never admit it, but the sky girl was excelling quite well in the art of swordsmanship. In spite of this, she still barely tolerated the blonde’s presence, but had at least managed to remain civil for the Heda’s sake.

 

After her training sessions, Lexa would escort Clarke back to the cabin where she was tended to by her handmaidens and then was seated for lunch.

 

Fourteen days ago, Clarke had been assigned a new guide. She would’ve questioned why but was too grateful for the fact that she wouldn’t have to endure Anya’s less than polite attitude any longer to even care. Her new guide was a tall, bulky statue of a man that Clarke was rather skeptical about at first.

 

Nyko never smiled. He hardly even spoke but eventually Clarke got an odd, yet strong feeling that they would get along just fine.

 

Anyhow, after lunch, Nyko would take her out to roam about the village so that she could better familiarize herself with the great mass of land that was York. She was not allowed to roam alone, and anywhere too far away from the heart of the village was considered forbidden from Clarke. Her nights ended with her tossing and turning about the soft pelts of the Commander’s grand bed.

 

She often thought of her people back at the Dropship. And that thought always lead her to think of how neither of them have probably even tried to at least make an attempt to come save her. She felt alone and saddened, but then reminded herself that this was her decision.

 

She _chose_ to give up her freedom for someone she card about. …And she often wondered if there was something truly wrong with her because even now, she still does not regret it. In true Clarke fashion,  her heart ruled her head.

 

 

∞

 

 

Clarke was just slipping on her new boots when she heard a knocking on the bedchamber’s door. “Give me one minute, Nyko!” Lacing up the fine leather, she spoke loud enough to ensure the man heard her. “I’m just about ready!”

 

The door cringed open. “Good.”

 

The sky girl sprung up at the sound of the Commander entering the room. She’d had fresh kohl applied around her eyes, all black and shimmering. Her braids were pulled back and fell like Wisteria vines over her strong shoulders. Her polished armor glimmered under a blotch of sunlight that invaded the room and Clarke hated that she admired the way the protective clothing suited the brunette’s form. It really added appeal to Lexa’s already fit and attractive figure.

 

Clarke squeezed her eyes shut for a second and shook her head a little. “What are you doing here?” She swallowed.

 

Lexa smirked, “This is my cabin, is it not?”

 

The Commander’s question went unanswered. All the blonde did was regard her in silence.

 

As said before, Clarke had had a lot of time to think during the past several nights. She’d realized that she’d been a little too passive when it came to the leader of the grounders. She may not have a say in what Lexa intended to do with her –what ever that may be– but she did have a say in how she responded to the Commander.

 

No more babbling and stuttering like an idiot every time the brunette walked into the room, she determined. No more wavering under the brunette’s intense gazes, she’d had enough of feeling fearful. And even if at any time she wa _s_ afraid, Clarke would not give any of the grounders the satisfaction of seeing her as such; especially their leader. 

 

She'd reminded herself that the Commander was her _captor_.

 

Clarke Griffin had been captivated all her life. For the most part it had been up in the sky. And now, here on the ground where she oh-so-badly expected to find freedom, she was just as restricted as she'd been in the sky. She’d decided that if she was to go out of this world as somebody’s ‘slave’, her dignity would be bolted _well_ in tack. The figurative shackles around her wrists were no match for the hell she’d throw if anyone tried to get in the way of that.

 

And with that last thought, Clarke’s guard surged up high and strong.

 

 

“Are you not delighted to see me Clarke?” Lexa walked further into the room.

 

The sky girl soon snapped out of it, aware of her current situation more than ever. She now stood straighter and hurriedly moved past Lexa, “I’ll be late for training, _Commander_.” 

 

Inwardly, Lexa was put off a little by the way Clarke spat her title. _That’s new,_ she thought. She hadn't shown her surprise though; instead she quickly reached for the blonde’s forearm.

 

Clarke was stopped right in the doorway.

 

“Not today.” She heard Lexa say behind her but still hadn't turned just yet. “Today marks the period in time where the mountain fell, just a year ago.” Clarke finally faced the brunette, understatedly confused. _Mountain, what mountain?_

“Today…my people rest." Lexa told her, "Later on, when the sun falls…and the moon rises, we celebrate.”

 

 Clarke blinked twice and her voice came out flat, “Okay then…so what am I to do all day?”

 

A small smile crept onto the Wolf’s face.

 

 

∞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (._. )


	10. X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Edited]

∞

 

 

True to Lexa’s words, every grounder Clarke saw the second she walked out of the cabin were doing absolutely nothing; nothing special, anyway. It was a weird thing for Clarke to witness, not seeing the Tree People at work. They hadn’t stared at her as much as they use to either, and she was glad to have felt  _some_ sense of normalcy because of it.

 

Clarke exhaled and observed everything freely. Many of them were either gathered in groups animatedly conversing in their foreign language, filling their stomachs with food or merely enjoying the mellow ambience of the morning. Little ones were playing all about and Clarke was totally unaware of the subtle smile that made its way on her face. Even the animals and nature itself seemed to know what a special occasion it was. The trees swayed in the wind, back and forth they danced, while the fauna were all tranquilly laid out in their respective closures.  

 

Where Clarke was so busy focused on what was happening around her, she hadn’t noticed that Lexa had halted her steps ahead of her. Heel to toe behind the woman, Clarke bumped into the Commander from behind and she fell on her ass with a pained grunt.

 

At first, Clarke was too disoriented to be embarrassed. But soon enough she gathered her bearings and only then did she realize that the brunette had led her towards the pergola just north of the Commander’s cabin. The red headed woman Clarke saw – but never formally met –from the second day she was here, was now strictly eyeing Clarke from her spot on the hard ground.

 

The area smelt solely of molten metal and sweat. Scrunching her face up at the odd aroma, the sky girl took the hand offered to her and was easily yanked up from the ground. Clarke cringed at the force of the pull and rotated her shoulder a bit as soon as she stood upright.

 

In an instant her focus was drawn in by a firm but grating voice.

 

“You not watching what front of you. You be okay?” Inquisitive almond eyes stared at Clarke who readily let go of the rough hand still clasped to hers.

 

It threw her a little, for a grounder to help her when they weren’t obligated to do so. “Um, yes.” The blonde tried to dust off what little dirt clung to her bottom. “I’m good, thank you.” She nodded simply.

 

Up close, Clarke could make out every pore on the woman’s oily face. She unconsciously eyed the hefty grounder from head to toe. Her paled cheeks were stained scarlet and her thin lips were bone dry. The grounder’s vibrant red hair stuck out in all sorts of directions and if the woman hadn’t just helped Clarke up, the blonde would have assumed that the woman held a grudge against her. That’s what the redhead’s grim expression led the sky girl to believe, anyway.

 

Clearing her throat, the Commander maintained a cool and collected appearance. Clarke had seemed to be on edge for the entirety of the morning thus far and Lexa herself would’ve asked the sky girl if she were alright, but thought better of it. “Clarke, I would like for you to meet Daisy –Daisy, Clarke.” The Heda gestured with her open palm toward the rough looking woman just when Clarke stopped her wandering eyes.

 

 _Daisy, huh?_ Clarked mused. _I never would’ve guessed._

 

“Oh, Heda...” Daisy shook her head assuredly as if the introduction was totally unnecessary, “everyone grounder know of the skai girl.”

 

 

 _True…_ silence fell between the trio as Lexa regarded Daisy for a moment. The Commander gave a short look that spoke for itself and soon after, the redhead caught on to the silent request. Thereafter, Daisy politely excused herself.

 

In thought, the sky girl’s eyebrows furrowed. From the little exchange Clarke has had with Daisy, she had deduced one of two things: Daisy was either just learning the English language or she fell a little more on the illiterate end of the spectrum.

 

“Clarke?”

 

The blonde turned her attention to the Commander. “Huh?”

 

She looked intently at the sky girl with a raised eyebrow. “I said I have something for you.”

 

 _Oh?_ “Something like what?”

 

As if on cue, Daisy reappeared. Making her presence known she softly called, “Heda… _hir em ste_.”

 

In her thick hands the grounder held out a slim, black and lengthy wooden box. It was polished well enough and Daisy held the box as though it were something sacred. Daisy hung her head a little low and waited until the Commander took the box from her, for her to once again look upright.

 

“ _This_.” Lexa now held it for Clarke to take, “I want you to have this.”

 

Of course Clarke looked at the brunette dubiously, but took the offered item nonetheless. Observing it carefully, she noticed that her name was carved into the box with a surprisingly clean penmanship. She looked from the Commander, then towards Daisy and back to the box.

 

Putting an end to all suspense the sky girl hurriedly opened the box and she nearly threw it to the floor until her eye caught what lay inside.

 

It was a beautifully crafted chrome colored blade. In the peculiar curve of the sword, Clarke could clearly see her own reflection. She watched her own eyes trail down to the hilt where there were little flecks of gold detailing. Clarke’s fingers unconsciously hovered over its length –tempted, but uncertain if she should touch it. Her eyes really lit up when she saw the numerous but minute sized emerald stones embedded into the hilt.  

 

Daisy watched the smirk that appeared on her Commander’s face as she took in Clarke’s reaction. Daisy also watched as that smirk fell when Clarke turned to face the blacksmith herself.

 

“You did this?” Clarke’s voice oozed disbelief and Daisy could be wrong, but she also sensed a _little_ bit of gratitude in the blonde’s tone.

 

Daisy’s furry eyebrows flew to her hairline, not sure how to respond to the sky girl.

 

Clarke had always had a deep interest in art. Any form of art. She recalled the days she would spend drawing herself into oblivion while she sat on the floor of her cell back on the Ark. And _this_ , what she held in her hand was nothing short of artistic, not to mention useful.

 

Whoever said grounders weren’t gifted?

 

“You are quite the blacksmith, Daisy.” Clarke looked back at the striking weapon. “Thank You.” Based upon first impressions, Daisy appeared to be this imposing and unapproachable person but to Clarke, she honestly hadn't seemed all that bad. I mean, not as bad as the other various tree people that Clarke has encountered.

 

“No, no- “ Daisy looked a little startled, “It is Heda. She reward you.”

 

Clarke looked as though she had totally forgotten the Commander’s presence until the sky girl took in the now blank expression on the brunette’s face. “Oh, yeah…thanks.” Clarke replied, purposely sounding less heartfelt.

 

The Commander had noticed Clarke’s improvement during her training sessions over the past several days. So, she had planned to do something special, to get Clarke something that was distinctive and fit just for her. Instead of wielding a weapon that had been passed on by a crowd of hands, she wanted to give the sky girl something that was personally made for her.

 

Also, Lexa figured Clarke would feel more receptive towards her through a thoughtful and selfless act.

 

Lexa frowned.

 

 _Well_...what a way her intentions backfired.

 

∞

 

 

Careful of her pacing this time behind Lexa, the sky girl walked confidently with her new sword in its sheath on her hip as they arrived the southern gates of York. Clarke smiled slightly as she recalled the shocked expression that she caught on the Commander’s face when she had given her thanks to the Blacksmith, instead of the brunette herself. Unfortunately, the expression had gone just as quick as it came. But either way, Clarke was pleased with the outcome because she really hadn’t wanted to give Lexa the satisfaction back there; despite the brunette’s _seemingly_ good intentions.

 

She broke from her thoughts when Lexa was instructing her to get atop a gleaming, black horse.

 

“Where exactly are we going?” Clarke asked her as she (reluctantly) allowed the Commander to help her onto the back of the towering animal. She’d never actually ridden a horse before so her nerves were all over the place at the moment, yet by some miracle she kept her uneasiness at bay.

 

“I guess you’ll have to see when we get there, won’t you?” the brunette replied once Clarke was securely situated.

 

Before they’d went to Daisy’s pergola, the Commander had covertly ordered Nyko to prepare her horse for a ride outwards. For some time now, Lexa had had an idea in mind concerning Clarke and she figured today would be ideal for what she’d been planning. On a special occasion such as today, the Commander was supposed to be in Polis, but…she had in mind a more significant way to celebrate today.

 

Lexa stepped away from her horse for a moment and made her way over towards Indra. Clarke watched as the Commander shortly spoke to York’s Charge before the brunette came back over and mounted the animal herself, settling in right behind the blonde; wherein the sky girl completely ignored the fact that she suddenly felt a thousand times more pacified.

 

Still, it was a little unnerving not knowing where they were going, but Clarke would be lying if she were to say that she weren’t thankful for the break in the monotony of her life. With that in mind, Clarke unexpectedly found herself beaming as the iron gates ahead of them slowly opened outwards. Her smile was so candid, all teeth and faintly dimpled cheeks. It was that sliver of freedom she tasted that had made her numb to the unknown.

 

Lexa caught sight of this and if it weren’t for Indra and the select few warriors waiting by and watching their departure, the Commander would have allowed a smile of her own, influenced by the blonde’s bubbling enthusiasm. The two were close enough that Clarke’s soft hair brushed Lexa’s cheek when she whispered low into Clarke’s ear. “Hold on tight.”

 

 

In an instant, Clarke’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as Lexa tugged on the horse’s reins and the animal hoisted itself onto its hind legs, whinnying with its upper body in the air. They took off from the gates with an intense speed.

 

Right then Clarke felt an insane flood of adrenaline rushing through her. There was both a flurry of thrill and eagerness bustling within her. She could feel the vibrations from the power of the horse’s hooves stomping into the ground. Her blonde hair fluttered all about in the breeze and she blinked away the water that gathered in both her eyes, sputtering out sounds of laughter as she did so.

 

Lexa was torn between watching the direction of their route and taking in the pure joy Clarke seemed to be experiencing. Before she knew what she was doing, one of her hands left the reins and made its way to Clarke’s abdomen to hold her steadily.

 

Following along a single path, Lexa slowed her horse down just a tad bit to allow the sky girl a chance to fully take in the passing scenery bracketing them both.

 

At first, Clarke could hardly distinguish all the blurry shades of green, but as they got deeper along the widening track, and as the horse’s gallop became less intense, she could make out the different forms of wildlife that inhabited the voluminous forest surrounding them. She was intently immersed in a completely new experience and so caught up in her own fascination that she seemed to forget the woman behind her, along with the string of catastrophic happenings that she referred to as a life.

 

All of it, just blown away in the currents of the forceful winds.

 

 

∞

 

 

By the time the Commander was able to spot her intended destination, Clarke was undoubtedly in a much better mood than she was in earlier this morning. However, her smile dwindled some as they came to a stop at a tiny clearing in the woods.

 

Behind her, Lexa unmounted the horse and afterwards proceeded to carefully help Clarke down herself.

 

“You enjoyed the ride.” It was an obvious statement Lexa made as she made work of tying the horse to a single pole near the edge of the clearing.

 

Without the wind in her hair and the powerful exertions of the animal beneath her, for the sky girl, the euphoric moment was gone. Clarke sobered up from her little bout of giggling and cleared her throat. Her smile faltered as she tried to recollect herself. “I did.” She became somewhat defensive because of the way Lexa now eyed her, “So what?” She shrugged, “You try being withheld for two weeks straight doing the same thing each day against your will.”

 

Having secured her horse to the post, the brunette dropped the rope and gave a shrug of her own. “There’s no judgement here…happy looks good on you.”

 

Clarke looked bewildered at the Commander’s words. “That’s a bit contradictory –not to mention ironic– coming from you, don’t you think?”

 

A silent moment passed where they simply stared at one another until the stallion beside them neighed. Clarke’s gaze turn towards the animal and she reached forth to pet him gently, a look of contentment suddenly stealing her face. Her ivory colored hands a stark contrast from the horse’s shiny, obsidian coat. The creature seemed to like her touch though, nuzzling against her palm, accepting the offered affection.

 

The tension had all about dissipated and she asked, “What’s his name?”

 

Clarke turned her head towards the Commander only to see her with a puzzled look on her face. “Kai-Oshi.” The brunette stated.

 

The sky girl hummed returning her focus back to the horse. “Interesting. I’ve never heard that name before. Why Kyoshi?”

 

Lexa was puzzled because Kaioshi was never really this receptive with just anyone. He would show indifference whenever a bystander made an attempt to pat him or simply came too close for his liking. Normally canting in place or bucking his legs outwards would be his way of saying “don’t touch” or “back up”.  But with this stranger, with Clarke, the Commander would swear her steed was practically purring under the blonde’s attention.

 

Lexa stepped in closer to them and lightly scratched the spot between Kaioshi’s eyes.

 

“Why not name him Kaioshi? I’ve had him since he was a wobbling foal…I gave him that name because I like it. Does it really have to have a more special meaning than that?”

 

Clarke shrugged and stole Lexa’s earlier words. “No judgement here.” She looked at him and smiled, “You’re very stunning, Kyoshi.”

 

“Come on.” Lexa said making her way over to a narrow trail just aside the post where Kyoshi was tied to.

 

Clarke started after Lexa, but turned shortly, “Hey, what about him? We can’t just leave him here, can we?”

 

Turning around, Lexa walked back over the distance between them. “He’ll be fine, trust me.” She took Clarke’s hand in hers and was a little surprised when the blonde slipped her hand back out of her hold.

 

The sky girl opted to put her hands in the pockets of her jacket instead. “What?” She questioned the brunette staring at her from her side.

 

Without a word, the Commander quickly shrugged it off and continued onward. And behind Lexa Clarke mumbled lowly, “Look who doesn’t like it when they don’t get what they want.” She fought the urge to laugh at a mildly seething Lexa just two steps ahead of her.

 

 

Finally at the end of the trail, a smoothly running river came into view. The Commander heard Clarke gasp behind her and turned slightly to find the girl gaping at the appealing, natural setting surrounding them. Slowly approaching the river, Clarke took notice of the beautiful layout of colored rocks along the shore. The channel of water itself was crystal clear to the point where she could easily make out any form of aquatic life beneath the surface. Tiny schools of fish would swim on by at different intervals, mingling at one spot and swiftly gliding to another.

 

“What is this place…?” Clarke whispered, making a display of both her curiosity and enthrallment.

 

“My people call it the _Nada Aqua_ ,” Clarke’s head shot in the Commander’s direction. Only now did she notice a gondola made of white wood bobbing lazily in the water where the brunette stood. Lexa reached into the sailing vessel and retrieved two long oars, “In your language you would interpret it as the ‘Lazy River’.” The Commander threw one leg over and then the other, fitting herself nicely into the vessel and positioning the oars into their respective rings on the rim of the gondola.

 

“Aren’t you coming?” She looked expectantly at Clarke.

 

The blonde looked dubiously at the swaying white boat before stepping inside and taking a seat on the opposite end, facing Lexa.

 

Once she started rowing, Clarke took in a deep breath of the cool air and exhaled on a sigh. There was nothing about this moment that didn’t exude serenity, and while Clarke seriously wanted to enjoy it all, she couldn’t help but voice her thoughts.

 

“What are we doing out here?”

 

The Commander looked at her blankly. “Sailing on a river.”

 

The blonde rolled her eyes. “ _Cute_.” Clarke huffed, “Seriously, why did you bring me out here?”

 

Lexa looked away and trained her focus on a little turtle blending in with a cluster of rocks in the water. “I’m enlightening you, Clarke.”

 

“What?”

 

The brunette returned her gaze back to the girl sitting in front of her. “I’m showing you that despite all the…gruesome...things you’ve seen since you came here, the ground is a beautiful place. Not everything you encounter down here is all ‘bad’, no matter how it may seem upon appearance. Plus, I figured you’d appreciate the breathing room.”

 

Clarke’s eyebrows furrowed and she pouted in thought. “Why do you care?” Her arms were now folded across her chest.

 

“You sure do ask a lot of questions.”

 

They were rounding a curve in the river when a silvered fish plopped out of the water, made an arc in the air above the gondola and dived right back into the water on the opposite side.

 

Clarke was surely startled, a shocked expression on her face as she gripped the sides of the boat for dear life.  She had Lexa fighting the urge to smile. “You scare easily.”

 

“Shut up.” The blonde mumbled before she readjusted herself in an effort to sit more comfortably. Moments passed before she broke the silence again.  “Why did you agree on the exchange?”

 

“You mean aside from the fact that you were literally begging me to do so?”

 

“You could have said no. You could have had him killed.” For a split second, a sour expression fleeted across Clarke’s face. “I still don’t understand why you had him captive in the first place.”

 

“You mean aside from the fact that he tried to kill me that night?”

 

The blonde’s lips pressed together in a thin line at that.

 

In an effort to clarify things for Clarke, Lexa decided to tell things from her recollection of the incident that got them both where they are now. “A group of my people and I were out in the woods on the other end of the bridge that night. I had come in from Polis earlier on that day when I got news of some unknown pod that crashed near York. As Commander…it was imperative that I came to inspect just what it was that happened.” Lexa paused for a second, “when I learned that it were actual people that came to the ground from the sky, I wanted to give you all the benefit of the doubt. I even considered for a very brief moment of offering you and your people hospitality. But when that _branwada_ put that damned gun of his in the air, firing blindly, my first instinct was to protect my people.”

 

The blonde’s brain was in all sorts of knots right now. “…br-anwada? I’m confused?”

 

“So was I. He initiated assault on people who did him nothing.”

 

The sky girl sighed. “Who exactly are you talking about, Lexa?”

 

“The boy who lead those with the torches.”

 

“Bellamy?”

 

“If that is what you call it, yes.”

 

Going over things in her head, Clarke came to a conclusion that what she _knew_ and what Lexa was _telling_ her just didn’t add up. The sky girl shook her head. “Nope. You’re wrong. You and your people were the first to attack _us.”_ The Commander was about to retort when the sky girl spoke a little louder, “ _your_ people were the ones to dart _my_ friend to a tree. _Your_ people were the ones to make the bad impression, Lexa. How the hell did you expect _any_ of us to react towards you grounders after that, huh? I don’t blame Bellamy for what he did.”

 

The Commander suddenly looked confused at Clarke’s accusations. “Clarke, I have not the slightest idea of what you are referring to. We –my people and I have _never_ made any attempts to kill any one of the Skaikru until the incident with that boy Bellamy.”

 

“Well who the hell else could have done it, Lexa?!”

 

The gondola rocked a bit from Clarke’s abrupt movement and the Commander did not appreciate the sky girl’s consistent and more than inaccurate accusations. Even still, she kept a level head and responded calmly.

 

“I do not know.”

 

 

∞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: More Clexa bonding and some revelations about the W0lf.


	11. Beauty and the Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story dips into a LITTLE bit of the omega verse but not quite.  
> [Edited]

 ∞

 

                  

Clarke wanted to believe that Lexa was lying. She seriously wanted to, but she found no deception in the brunette’s words. Frustrated, she turned her head away and avoided any further eye contact with the Commander. She stared aimlessly into the water gazing at the bright ripples running along the surface. “What else happened?”

 

Lexa was making a turn within the river when she replied. “Well, that part you should know of….” she trailed off while Clarke vividly recalled the first time she and the Commander met.

 

The girl across from her subtly moved back a little further into the seat of the boat in an effort to put more space between them. Of course Lexa noticed, but she didn’t mention it.

 

“Yes.I remember.” Clarke breathed. Ever since that night in the woods Clarke had often wondered about _what_ exactly the Commander was. It’d been a question that continuously pranced about in her mind, but she’d never found an opportune moment to voice it; until now that is.

 

She swallowed and fixed the brunette with a hard stare. “Ever since I got down here I’ve clearly seen that Earth isn’t exactly as it used to be.” She frowned, “well, based on what I’ve either been told or read about, anyway.”

Lexa was listening intently knowing exactly what the blonde was trying to get at.

 

“That night…you weren’t exactly _human_ …before Finn shot you. What was that all about?”

 

Lexa hummed at the way Clarke was eyeing her. She’d questioned her like Lexa owed her a legitimate answer and the brunette must say that, while it was off-putting at first, she was quickly coming to like this newfound valiancy within the blonde. Going against what she knew Clarke wanted to hear, Lexa decided to tease her a bit. “You’re a smart girl asking a question with a rather obvious answer. Why is that?”

 

The sky girl scoffed, “You’re trying to be shrewd, but your failing tremendously at it.” Clarke cocked her head to one side. “Why is that?”

 

If it were anyone else, Lexa would have had them below the surface of this river swallowing their weight in water by now. Aside from Clarke, no one has ever been this daring towards her in years. No one has ever spoken to her in this way and afterwards lived to see another day. 

 

She hadn't replied to Clarke’s last verbal jab, but instead looked behind the blonde as she felt the currents pulling in the pergola with more force. It took a little more effort to maneuver the vessel but soon enough, Clarke’s attention was stolen by a harsh whooshing sound. She turned where she sat and her breath was stolen by the sight of an upcoming waterfall. The gush of water flowed down to fill a circular spring that they were slowly entering and Clarke noticed that the once clear water transitioned into a pure blend of aqua and cyan.

 

 _This is too beautiful to be real_.

 

 “Very much so.”

 

Clarke's head whipped to the brunette behind her. She hadn’t realized that she spoke aloud, but never-mind that. Lexa had put away the oars to rest and instead of being on the other end of the pergola, she was now sitting on the middle bench in the boat, directly across from Clarke. They were at the center of the body of water with a perfect view of the entire scenery.

 

“This has always been my favorite feature about York.”

 

Clarke inhaled slowly. The Commander was so much closer to her now and there wasn’t much wiggle room unless she decided to jump overboard. “You come here a lot?”

 

The brunette returned her focus to Clarke. “Whenever the time calls for it, yes.” She bit her bottom lip looking coolly at Clarke, “do you like it?”

 

Hesitantly, the blonde nodded in approval. “It is nice compared to what I am accustomed to.” This caused Lexa to smile. _Small victories,_ the Commander thought to herself _._

 

Silence fell upon the duo as they both basked in it for a moment.

 

A moment that ended when Lexa decided to speak up. “I didn’t quite always know what I was, not really. I’ve been this way since I was born.”

 

With that small confession she saw that she’d fully caught Clarke’s attention and so she went on. “When I was a child, I found that I had a little bit of a…temper. Seemingly little things would set me off in a way that I couldn’t quite explain." 

 

 

∞

 

 

_.:On the Ground:._

_.: Fourteen years Prior to The 100’s Arrival to Earth:._

         

_.:Polis:._

It all started out as innocent fun.

 

Two seven-year-old girls were running about aimlessly through a maze garden, both giggling harmoniously. One was chasing after the other as their small hearts thumped with adrenaline, tireless.

 

This had become sort of an everyday thing for them.

 

╬

 

Sometime ago, young Lexa was just wandering about with wide, curious eyes as she explored one of the more crowded areas of the vast woodlands that was Polis. Most mornings the Market was flooded with numerous traders and merchants from the offspring Trigedakru clans that were in need of whatever form of sustenance or supplies.

 

From Lexa’s perspective she was so _small_ as she weaved her little body through all the towering figures of tree people, and at some point she got fed up with nearly being trampled over. She thought quickly, and through a break in the crowd she spotted a low laying branch from a nearby tree. Lexa shoved her way toward it and heaved her body upwards, huffing as she did so. She took her time manoeuvring through the greenery but something in the crowd below caught her attention and before she knew it, she crash landed straight for the ground. Lexa’s thin frame toppled onto someone not much bigger than herself and as soon as her vision stopped swaying her cheeks heated up. A girl had yelped out disconcertedly beneath Lexa. As soon as she got off the girl who now had a few twigs in her hair, Lexa found herself on the short end of an annoyed yet intrigued gaze.

 

╬

 

Practically every morning since that incident, Lexa would sneak out just before her keeper or the handmaidens could wake her for her morning meal. She would quickly throw on her clothes, stealthily bypass any elders and would ‘accidentally _’_ bump into the hazel-eyed girl who Lexa discovered frequented the Market for the most part of the day.

 

“Oh!” Lexa would feign surprise, “Costia, uhh…hi.”

 

The majority of the times Costia was bound to be found toting a bag of fruits over her shoulder. This morning it was a small sack of apples and when Lexa startled her, she accidentally dropped the bag. After Lexa had embarrassingly picked it up, followed by a string of apologies, she would stand back digging the toe of her boot into the ground while looking down with her hands latched behind her back.

 

It made little Costia grin every time, “Good Morning, JuJu.” The young raven-haired girl would greet with a wide smile. Costia had a strong feeling that these impromptu collisions weren’t all that unintentional anymore.

 

Lexa unwillingly blushed at the nickname which Costia had given to her during the very first time they met. After outright gazing at the unfamiliar girl, Costia had told Lexa that her eyes were like little Jujube fruits just before they ripened, green and round as marbles. Lexa had thought the girl was a little peculiar for saying that and she hadn't known whether to take it as a compliment or not, but that was as poetic as little Costia was gonna’ get.

 

 

At one point, after one of Lexa’s run-in’s with Costia, Lexa finally worked up the courage to utter more than three syllables to the girl. Costia didn’t get why Lexa was so shy and she'd never bothered to push the girl either, for the fear of making Lexa even more uncomfortable than she already seemed around her. So she was shocked when Lexa herself finally took the initiative.  

“Um, I was ah…I was wondering if you could maybe...” young Lexa dubiously stammered. She shook her head in frustration and rushed her words out all at once, “Would you like to go play out near the horses with me?”

 

Lexa looked hopeful and to her surprise, Costia readily agreed. “Ba ai don kom teik emo produ kom ai nontu nou.” _But I have to takes these fruits to my father first._ For emphasis Costia had reajusted the weight of the sac of apples over her shoulder.

“Oh, I can come with you if you want?” Lexa offered.

 

Costia smiled.“Okay, Juju.”

 

After the short walk to Costia’s Father’s cabin just beyond the market, the two girls made their way toward the stables. Along the way, Costia poked Lexa in the shoulder before she broke off in a sprint, “catch me if you can!” she hollered in the spirited way that most children did. Lexa saw the challenge in those hazel eyes and immediately after, she took off behind the chuckling little girl.

 

In her haste, Lexa soon heard the neighing of those majestic animals she loved so dearly. However, in front of her Costia’s trajectory had changed. The little girl instead headed toward the maze gardens. This puzzled Lexa but never being one to surrender at a challenge, Lexa thoughtlessly ran through the intricate walls of shrubbery and relied on the reverberating sounds of Costia’s laughter to guide her. Panting, she made a left, continued on straight and then made another left. The laughter grew louder and as soon as she saw bouncing dark curls ahead of her, Lexa picked up her pace. She saw that Costia had slowed down some, advancing toward one of the exits within the garden.

 

Lexa giggled. “Oh, I’ve got you now,” she said triumphantly despite Costia not being able to hear her. As Lexa got closer toward the exit of flowering hedges, she noticed Costia holding her arms out and screaming something incomprehensible to Lexa. When she could finally make out what Costia was saying, it was a little too late. Lexa was not able to halt her running before she lost control of her feet and instantly slid across a trail of mud at the exit of the maze. She only stopped when she landed face forward into the sticky muck.

 

Slowly Lexa raised her head and scraped the dung from her eyes with the under-bed of her fragile nails. Off to the side she saw two tree people just about the same age as her – or maybe a little older – staring at her. It made her feel beyond uncomfortable and to top it all off, Costia was looking down at her speechless. Lexa felt like crying in that instant but before Costia could possibly make fun of her, she quickly tried to get up and ran away from the scene. She regretted that though because in her rush to get up, Lexa slipped firmly on her backside. She grimaced at the feel of the wetness oozing through her pants, staining her trousers. The two grounders were now cupping their faces and Lexa fumed, wanting to go over and bash their heads into wooden rail beside them.

 

She dared not look at Costia. Even if she called out her actual name for the first time, Lexa headed home as fast as she could without further embarrassing herself or resorting to violence.

 

╬

 

When Lexa finally reached home she ran to the only person that she knew could make it all better.

 

“Nomon!” Her high pitched voice called out hysterically.

 

A brunette woman came into view and took in the little girl’s appearance. The woman stood mute for a while, because although she felt over-washed with relief, she was horror-stricken all at once. “Hodnes!” The woman cried kneeling to the floors and embracing Lexa tightly. She didn’t care that whatever covered Lexa from head to toe was now smothered onto her chest. “Love, what happened to you? Have I not told you to stop skipping out at sunrise?”

 

Lexa was accustomed to being berated for leaving in the mornings, but right now she loathed herself a little for her disobedience. “I know.” She hung her head and released a brittle sob. “Nomon, I smell like horse droppings. It’s all in my hair and –and…Costia…and those _other kids_.”

 

“Love, what other kids? Did they do this to you?”

 

The little brunette’s eyes started to flash a startling shade of green as she recalled the two kids laughing at her. “I wanted to hurt them, Nomon.”

 

“Hey,” the woman rubbed her warm hands up and down the length of her daughter’s arms. “Love, you need to calm down, okay?”

 

“I…” Tears started to gather in Lexa’s eyes as she felt a simmering rage building up within her. “I don’t know how to, Momma.”

 

Lexa’s mother stared at her intently for a moment, supposedly trying to think of a way to calm her daughter down. “Okay, hodnes, how about I tell you a little tale, yes? Would you like that?”

 

The little girl rubbed her luminous, teary eyes and she nodded her head in a jerking fashion. “Okay.”

 

“Okay.” The woman started, “Did you know that very long ago there was no such thing as night and day?”

Lexa’s eyebrows bunched at her mother’s words and the woman could tell she had caught her daughter’s attention. She smiled softly and asked her child, "It sounds untrue doesn't it?"

Lexa nodded.

"I know it must." Her mother's voice soothed her as she continued the tale, “But the beginners of Trikru said that what we now know as night and day is all because of a tragic love story. It is said that before our time there were two immortal beings that co-existed in the skies as one."

"Really?" Lexa sniffled, "Who w-were they?" Without thought she moved closer and her mother readily held her as she sat in the woman's lap on the floor. 

"Some had called them yin and yang, push and pull, the forces that brought about balance. But many knew them simply as Sun and Moon. Before they had met, Moon was surrounded by darkness and Moon felt so alone, and even though there were billions of stars right by Moon’s side, Moon felt misunderstood by every single last one of them. Meanwhile, far-off in the darkness away, there was Sun; an insanely selfless being who radiated so brightly in frustration. Sun had so much energy, so much love pent up inside and had no one to give it to. It was maddening for them both.”

 

The girl thought about what she just heard and while she found it to be unrealistic, she felt a sense of truth in her Mother’s words. “What did Sun do, Nomon?” Lexa hiccupped.

 

“Well, love…they both suffered in their own way. Although, that was only until Sun came along and gave to Moon a love so warm and so bright, Moon never felt alone ever again. But eventually, their people grew angry, spitting in hatred at their love, saying that it caused nothing but turmoil. And so Sun and Moon were forbidden from ever being together as they wanted.” Her mother sighed and her words were spoken gently, “It was a cruel fate…to only catch a glimpse of one another right before having to go away again. Over, and over, and _over_ again -Sun died each night, just so Moon could breathe.”

 

“Wow,” young Lexa exhaled in awe, "that's so sad." A moment passed before Lexa threw her head back to scrunch her face up at her mother, “I thought this was suppose to make me feel better.”

 

The woman laughed a little at her daughter, “it is a bitter-sweet story, yes. But didn’t it take your mind off of things?” She asked her child while cupping her chin in the palm of her hand.

 

Lexa thought for a second. Sure she was still upset about today’s events, but she did feel better than before. “Yes. Yes it did, thank you, Nomon.”

 

“Are we sure we’re alright now?” Her mother brushed away a lock of Lexa’s sodden hair.

 

The young girl merely looked into her mother’s loving eyes. She chose then to hug the woman as tight as her little arms allowed and nuzzled her head into her mother’s chest. “ _Ai hod yu in, Nomon,”_ Lexa whispered with utmost sincerity. _I love you, Momma._

Beatrice curled into the hug, “ _En ai yu.”_

∞

 

 

_.:Present Time:._

 

"I was barely five summers old when I first shifted. It was both a tortuous, yet surprisingly exhilarating experience for me. Luckily I didn’t have to go through it alone. My mother and father weren’t bonded, but they were still both very supportive of me.”

 

Clarke looked puzzled as she allowed what Lexa had just told her to simmer in her mind. She had a lot of questions but decided to start small seeing that Lexa was finally willing to address the issue she was beyond curious about. Tentatively she asked, “Are you the only one of your kind?”

 

The brunette nodded, “that I know of, yes.”

 

Clarke’s features suddenly softened and she was unknowingly sporting a pout. “You must feel lonely.” _Where is this empathy coming from??_

 

The Commander shrugged. “That fact doesn’t bother me as much as it used to. I had my father with me growing up to show me the way of the Alpha.”

 

“I’m sorry?” There was that clueless expression on the blonde’s face again. “You must know that I’m lost on what you’re talking about.” The blonde was silently pleading for Lexa to elaborate.

 

And she had.

 

“Throughout Trikru history, there have been countless Alphas. In our society, Alphas are known to be the one to carry the gene to shift. An Alpha can be either gender and they are only allowed one mate over the duration of their lifetime. They may have multiple sex partners but only one mate that she or he can bind with and breed. Which is why I am the only one of my kind. I have no siblings but I am grateful to have had my sire. He was just like me.” There was a faraway look in her green eyes as she was bombarded by memories of her past. “He taught me how to control my shifting, he taught me how to fight, protect and be a good leader for my people. And trust me, no one was as good a leader of the Trikru as he was.”

 

Clarke felt all the tension leave her body and she carefully observed this new side of the Commander that the brunette most likely didn't reveal to many. Lexa’s use of past tense paired with the clear nostalgia in her eyes stuck a chord in the sky girl. Clarke too knew what it felt like to have her father taken away from her. It was not the best feeling and she was still trying to learn how to live with the fact that her dad was gone and would never be back. After the Commander made no indication of going any further in her explanation, Clarke cleared her throat. “You speak very highly of him.”

 

“Yes. He was a good man until he died during the battle at the Mountain.” _Years ago from this exact day._

 

Lexa suddenly shook her head, “enough about that. I think it is only fair now that you answer a question of mine.”

 

The Commander was deflecting and Clarke knew it, but she decided to leave it be. “Depends on the question,” she said. 

 

Lexa smirked and moved to sit on the last bench, right next to Clarke. She leaned in close and whispered softly into Clarke's ear. “Tell me what it was like…” she raised her arm, pointing her finger directly towards the cloudy, blue sky, “…living way up there.”

 

Clarke hadn't attempt to move away from the brunette. They were both caught up in a moment where it was easy for them to forget about the reality of their individual predicaments. In this moment, Lexa hadn't felt weighed down by her ‘royal’ title and Clarke was not some prisoner that fell from the sky. For once, she felt genuinely at peace with herself and saw absolutely no wrong in having an authentic conversation with the woman pressed into her side.

 

The sky girl smiled -a real smile, in turn causing Lexa to smile back at her. “You know, as bizarre as it may sound, living up there wasn’t as magical as one would think.” She frowned, “not for me, anyway. In a nutshell, I was imprisoned for the most part of my life on the Ark. I too lost my Dad. He was killed for his belief that everyone had a right to know the truth about what was really going on up there. My ex-bestfriend Wells is to thank for that, by the way.”

 

“Wells?”

 

“Yes, you’ve met him before. The boy who came to York with me.”

 

“Ah....”

 

Clarke sighed. “But yeah, it wasn’t too long after since it was determined that life on the Ark was eventually going to be impossible to maintain. As a ‘scientific experiment’,” she cringed at that, “one hundred of us so called prisoners were sent to the ground to find out if life was sustainable down here. And…here I am.”

 

Clarke focused her gaze on Lexa for a response. The brunette snaked her arm across Clarke’s lap to reach for the blonde’s hand, linking their fingers together when Clarke didn’t pull away. “Here you are.” With those words, the sky girl felt the Commander’s breath against her lips, along with a strange fluttering in her stomach.

 

The gondola was rocking idly and everything else was so serene. Even the voice at the back of Clarke’s head that normally berated her in these situations seemed to be swooning at the slight pucker of the Commander’s lips. Their noses were inching closer. The air felt warmer and soon their lips would press into a gentle kiss that would leave Clarke a blushing mess, her reddened cheeks cupped in the palms of Lexa’s hands.

 

But before any of that could happen, Lexa’s head jerked back and she froze. She seemed to be on alert and it worried Clarke. “Lexa?” Her brows furrowed, “what is it? What’s wrong?” 

 

The brunette didn’t answer. Instead, her eyes fluttered shut and the blonde watched as she took in a deep breath, her chest rising with the long inhale. When she reopened her eyes, they were ice cold, glowing and threatening. Clarke’s own eyes widened slightly when she heard the growl that came from Lexa. The brunette turned away from Clarke and the sky girl followed the Commander’s gaze to spot a pair of narrowed eyes in the forestry that encircled them. As soon as she saw them, they were gone, the shrubbery ruffling as they rushed off, seemingly absorbed by the line of trees.

 

“We need to be heading back now.” The Commander quickly stated. She instantly got up to retrieve the oars but Clarke was still understatedly confused by what just happened.

 

“Huh?” She stammered, instantly missing the brunette’s warmth. “Wait, Lexa, who was that?”

 

After she situated the oars and re-took her seat, she only managed to grumble, “Someone with a death wish.”

 

 

∞

 

 

It seemed that time had crawled up on them since their little journey away from the village.

 

Their ride back wasn’t as delightful as it was when they first came this way. Lexa was tense behind her and they both remained quiet. Neither of them mentioned what almost happened back at the waterfall.

 

It was way after midday when they were just re-entering York’s southern gates. It was nice to get away from everyone else, sure, but now Clarke was reminded of just where she stood in all of this. Even still, she was glad to find out that this ‘feud’ between her people and the grounders was but a big misunderstanding.

 

“Heda, we have a situation.” Indra had rushed on over to them before either of them could dismount Kaioshi.

 

Once Lexa got off, she quickly moved to help Clarke. After lowering the sky girl down by the waist, she turned her attention to the dark woman. “What’s the problem?”

 

Indra’s next words were lowly whispered into the Commander’s ear. Right after she narrowed her eyes toward Clarke, making Lexa look over as well.  They both turned away afterwards and Clarke only heard Lexa tell Indra that she would soon meet her in York’s war room. 

 

As the Commander headed back on over to Clarke, she caught sight of the darkening skies. “The celebration will start very soon.” She looked back down to the blonde in front of her. “Nyko is to escort you back to the cabin to get ready.” And at the mention of the man’s name, he was slowly approaching them but at some point stopped to maintain his distance.

 

The sky girl stood fiddling with her fingers and couldn’t help but wonder, “And where will you be?”

 

Lexa looked hesitant to answer. “…you’ll know it when you see me.” She gave Clarke one last assuring glance before she ordered someone to take Kaioshi back to his stable, and walked off.  

 

 

∞

 

 

She was panting hard.

 

There was this aching void she felt low in the pit of her abdomen and with her grumbling stomach, she chalked it up to starvation. That was also probably the reason behind her dizziness. She swallowed hoping to find some kind of comfort from the action but was saddened to feel her mouth entirely dry.

 

Her head jerked up when she heard the doors of the dimly lit room open forcefully.

 

“Here she is, Heda.” The grounder woman who had been harshly eyeing her since she was caught and detained spoke loudly.

 

The Commander took in the sight of the girl knelt on the floor in shackles before her. She looked like she had been scouring the woods for days without any good form of sustenance. Covered in filth with fear written all over her face, the girl seemed adamant on trying to still her quivering hands.

 

 Her attire said that she was of the Skaikru.

 

“What is your name, girl?” Lexa's tone was demanding.

 

 “Oc-Octavia.”

 

“And just what were you doing on this side of the woods?”

 

“I-I swear I had no clue where-” the girl swallowed again, “-where I was. I th-thought I was heading-“

 

“Enough.” Her demand was calmly stated yet the Commander effectively put an end to the girl’s stammering. She used the silence to think back on her time spent with Clarke at the Nada Aqua and recalled an important fact. The Sky people initially meant no harm and based on the looks of the girl before her, she truly seemed lost and terribly out of sorts. Not to mention she had more important things to discuss with Indra. Had today not been the special occasion that it was, the Commander wouldn’t have done what she was about to do.

 

The Commander sighed and looked pointedly at the kneeling brunette. “Listen carefully, _Octavia_. I will have you released.” From the side Lexa heard the shocked gasp from Indra but paid it no mind. “I will have you followed out of Trikru territory and if you find yourself wandering in these parts unannounced again, I cannot promise that there won’t be any consequences. Am I understood?”

 

The girl seemed really off put by her words but nonetheless nodded frantically. “Y-yeah, sure.  I just want to get out of here.”

 

“Very well.” She nodded towards the guard who had been silent throughout the whole ordeal, standing some distance behind Indra. He proceeded to help Ocatavia up and out of the war room. The whole time Indra’s lips were tightly pinned close, practically shooting daggers at Octavia’s retreating form with her burning gaze.

 

“We were being watched,” Lexa said as they left.

 

The dark warrior’s attention snapped to her Heda. “…watched?” She looked puzzled.

 

“Clarke and I, when we were out earlier there was someone spying on us. It’s not a scent that I recognize but it’s an unpleasant one. Someone was spying on us and they were not Trikru.”

 

“Skaikru then?”

 

The brunette shook her head right away. “No. Not Skaikru either. And even if, guards would have spotted them from the boarders near the bridge.” Her brows were furrowed hard in contemplation.

 

“Then who do you think it was, Heda?”

 

“I don’t know, but I am guessing that it is the same person that attacked one of the Skaikru shortly after they came to the ground. Clarke had thought it was one of us…” For clarification, Lexa filled Indra in on whatever false impressions that lay between both the Tree People and Sky People.

 

With this new information in mind, Indra asked, “well what do you suggest happen, Heda?”

 

“We need to be more alert. Have some of your best warriors inspect every cardinal point of the woods surrounding York at least once a day. Whoever the spy was, they must be in the vicinity.”

 

Indra nodded. “Of course, I will round them up by sunrise tomorrow.” 

 

At that moment, there was a faint sound of drums sounding from the outside. They both shared a knowing look, “very well. I have to leave now, the festival is starting.” Just as she had turned for the doors, Indra called out.

 

“Heda…you do not think that it could be…”

 

“No.” The commander immediately shut down the possibility of whatever Indra was suggesting.

 

“Alright, Heda. I would think it’s impossible anyway…”

 

The Commander shook her head dismissing the idea. “See you outside, Indra.”

 

 

∞

 

 

       One of Clarke’s handmaidens were finishing up the final touches on her hair when she herself heard the drums sounding from the outside of the cabin. She hadn’t quite understood why she was suddenly nervous about seeing Lexa again. But she'd surely convinced herself that it definitely didn’t have anything to do with the little moment they had just a while ago at the spring. Nope. Definitely had nothing to do with the thought of Lexa’s lips so close to hers…looking all soft and supple.

 

       She clenched and unclenched her clammy palms when Talia, one of her handmaidens, brought the looking glass before her. She was dressed in a strapless, white dress that fell pass her ankles. It was simple yet beautiful, clinging to her frame in the most complimentary way. Her golden hair dropped in soft curls over her shoulders and down her back.

 

       It was no shocker to her by now. The four women whom Lexa had assigned to her have never failed yet at what they do. For every time either of them had pass her the mirror, she was always pleased with the reflection. Only this time, hands swept some of her hair to the side and encircled her neck. Clarke gaped slightly when she saw an iridescent, opal necklace hanging just below the hollow space between her collar bones. It was nothing extravagant, a stone about the size of a penny. The lighting in the room showed off the different colors twinkling within the piece of opal. There truly was beauty in simplicity.

 

       Once it was clasped behind her neck, Clarke reached for it appreciatively. “Where’d this come from?” She softly asked.

 

       “Heda say you wear this tonight.” Talia announced in her broken English.

 

       Clarke found herself grinning crazily at Talia through the mirror. “Did she now?”

 

       “Sha.”

 

       The sky girl hummed now staring at the ornament like it were a lost piece of treasure suddenly found.

 

 

∞

 

 

       By the time she came outside the celebration was in full force.

The village was lit up in a way that it could possibly rival the Sun. As Nyko motioned for them to move along the cobblestone, a group of grounder warriors stole Clarke’s attention with their hearty chanting. One stood in the center of them all chugging back a hefty mug of ale. Based on the empty mugs around them, they were having a drinking game and the female warrior in the middle appeared to be on her eighth mug (at least). When she emptied yet another, she got numerous big pats on her back before another full mug was shoved in her grasp.

 

       At the top of the grand staircase there was another set of grounders. Each equipped with a handmade musical instrument. Wooden drums, flutes, guitars and whatever other contraption that could strike a beat or sing a tune were all put to good use as music flowed throughout the village. Around a big fire pit sat some kids that were listening to a grounder man who told thrilling stories about the fall of the mountain while other kids were playing games or mindlessly dancing to the music. Various pairs of either lovers or friends were too enjoying themselves at the sounds of the instruments blaring.

 

       As Clarke walked through alongside Nyko, she seemed to grab the attention of several grounders who eyed her with crystal clear wonderment and in some cases…lust. Mind you, she still got a hateful and distrustful glance from some, but it didn’t bother her as much anymore. Anyway, the festivities were going on full force and Clarke just wanted to try and enjoy it.

 

       “You need sustenance. You haven’t had food since sunrise.” Nyko stated while directing her toward a fuming grill handled by another grounder. Nyko got one of the kebabs from the grill and carefully handed it to Clarke.

 

“Thank you, Nyko.” She smiled appreciatively. The different chunks of meat threaded through the sturdy stick it was on was clearly hot. Fuming as Clarke attempted to take a bite at it. However, she immediately retracted when the hot meat met her tongue.

 

“ _Ah_.” Clarke hissed.

 

“Too hot?” Nyko looked apologetic.

 

“Yeah.” She stuck the tip of her tongue out some.

 

“Would you care for some fruits instead?”

 

Clarke was about to tell Nyko not to worry about it when she spotted a familiar face in the distance. Her features scrunched in confusion, “Octavia?” She whispered disbelievingly. “Octavia.” She said a little firmer as if the fact that Octavia was just some feet away settled in her mind. Before she knew it, her feet had her sprinting towards the brunette girl. “Octavia!”

 

The girl must have heard her because she was now turning and recognition too showed in her expression. “Clarke?!” Octavia rushed to close the rest of the distance between them. Both girls met in an embrace that caught some attention from those around them, regardless they hugged one another tightly; until Octavia groaned under Clarke’s weight.

 

Honestly, back at camp, Octavia and Clarke didn’t have the friendliest of relationships but still, it was beyond great to see a familiar face. Clarke immediately let go of Octavia when she heard the pained sound come from the girl.

 

“Are you okay?” The sky girl looked her from head to toe and was startled by the brunette’s disheveled appearance. “Oh my God.” Clarke found Octavia’s eyes, “what happened to you, O?”

 

“That bad huh?” Octavia smiled weakly, trying to insert humor into the unfortunate situation. She sighed when Clarke showed that she found nothing funny about the given circumstances. “I was out trying to find some useful stuff for us back at camp. Long story short, I got lost and before I knew it, it was dark out. I spent forever trying to find my way back to camp but apparently…” Octavia pointedly studied her surroundings, “I’m far from it.”

 

 

“You mean to tell me you haven’t eaten properly in _two weeks._ Goodness, O, here have this.” Clarke quickly handed her the kebab that should have cooled down somewhat by now. Without question Octavia took the offered food and moaned at the taste that filled her mouth. She finished it under a minute, no exaggeration, and was about to plead for another, but a hand grabbed at her bicep.

 

“What do you think you are doing?” A guard demanded.

 

“Hey, leave her alone!” Clarke got defensive and broke the man’s hold on Octavia.

 

“She mustn’t be here.” He said firmly, not wavering for a second.

 

“Its okay, Clarke.” Octavia tried to calm the blonde. “He’s escorting me out of here.”

 

Clarke found herself frowning. “But you just got here.”

 

Octavia snorted. “You make it seem like I’m here on vacation or something. Which reminds me,” Octavia paused, “what are _you_ doing here?” She eyed Clarke from head to toe, eyes widening a little at Clarke’s attire. “And why are you dressed like that?”

 

“Is there an issue here?” All questions ceased at that voice.

 

Clarke turned to find the Commander standing behind them looking oh-so-devilishly _charming_. She was dressed entirely in black, just as this morning but her clothing were a bit more formal this time around. Fitted black trousers, fine black suede boots (that Clarke was certain were both equipped with sharpened daggers), a skillfully tailored black greatcoat and a belt that held her favorite sword. Of course the look would not be complete without the expanse of red velvet pinned to her collar, cascading from her shoulder.

 

With the way Clarke was eyeing the Commander and given how the grounder's leader was staring back at the blonde with equal amazement, a lightbulb went off in Octavia’s head.

 

"Holy, shit you've got to be kidding me..." Octavia whispered in disbelief as the two continued gazing as if they were oblivious to those around them.

“I knew it would look lovely on you.” Lexa breathed loud enough so that only Clarke would hear.

 

Clarke only broke from her stupor when she felt Lexa fingering the jewelry on her chest. Her cheeks heated up slightly and she looked at the gift from the brunette gazing down at her. “It was very sweet of you. Thank you.”

 

The Commander’s lips curved oh so slightly. “There is no need to thank me, but you are welcome.”

 

Behind them, the guard cleared his throat looking quite hesitant to disrupt the two. “Um, Heda?”  The Commander narrowed her gaze onto him with agitation clear in her expression. He looked to his feet, “the girl is being reluctant to leave.”

 

“Oh, right.” Clarke smiled. “Lexa, this is my friend Octavia. I was trying to see if she could stay a little while longer and this guy over here was being completely rude about it.”

 

The Commander looked from Clarke, to the guard, to Octavia and back to Clarke. “A friend of yours?”

 

"Mm-hmm," Clarke hummed still smiling softly at Lexa.

 

“Right.” The Commander addressed the guard, “You are dismissed for the night.”

 

The guard looked a little thrown but wouldn’t dream of questioning the Commander. “Sha, Heda.” He bowed respectfully and walked away. Meanwhile, Raven’s eyebrows flew to her hairline.

 

“Where is Nyko?” The brunette looked around momentarily, “he is supposed to be with you.”

 

“Here, Heda.” The thick man spoke up approaching them.

 

“Take Clarke and her friend here and see that they both have a proper meal. I have to tend to the festival.”

 

“Right away, Heda.”

 

She grunted in response, “and do not let her leave your sight, Nyko.”

 

“Of course, Heda.” He nodded once and led both girls away.

 

 

∞

 

 

       “Do you feel any better?”

 

       Just a couple feet ahead of Nyko both girls walked side by side in each other’s company. They had just had their fill of all sorts of food. Clarke was stuffed to the point where she thought that she wouldn’t even want breakfast in the morning. And Octavia surely put it down herself; she was starting to look more lively considering how pale and ill she appeared before.

 

       The brunette girl smiled at Clarke. “Yeah. A lot better.”

 

   “Good.” The blonde seemed genuinely glad that she was now well fed.

 

  “So uhhh…you gonna tell me what’s going on between you and Commander Raccoon?”

 

  “What?” Clarke could feel the blood rush to her cheeks but played it off. “There isn’t anything going on with me and…Lexa.”

 

  “You tell me that she has you here as a prisoner but…”Octavia eyed her from head to toe yet again, “I’m very sure that this is more of the royal treatment than prisoner treatment.”

 

 Clarke rolled her eyes at the girl. “Oh please, O.”

 

 “You are such a _Princess_ , Clarke.” It wasn’t out of mockery at all, Octavia’s words were said in nothing but good, friendly humor. Octavia laughed. “She’s got you so spoiled and you actually think this is normal.”

 

“Spoiled?” Clarke looked bewildered. “What are you talking about, Octavia?”

 

“You are too smart to be this oblivious, Clarke. Look around you. Look at yourself for that matter.”

 

Clarke did exactly that, but still didn’t see the other girl’s point.

 

“From what you’ve told me, you’ve been assigned people to pamper you and cater to your every need. She gets you elaborate gifts for no freakin’ reason. She takes you out to a ‘magical nirvana’ –your words, not mine- and you expect me to believe that there isn’t _something_ going on between you two. Hell, you even have a personal body guard!” Octavia stressed her last sentenced.

 

Clarke insistently shook her head, “O, it isn’t like that.”

 

The girl huffed at the blonde’s stubbornness. “Well if this is the prisoner’s package, sign me up.”

 

“Whatever.” Clarke rolled her eyes. “So are you going to at least stay until you’re fit to go back to camp on your own? At least stay the night, O.” She looked pleadingly at the girl.

 

Octavia looked uncertain at all the strange grounders looking at her oddly, but refocused when Clarke tugged on her arm. “Don’t mind them.” She told the brunette.

 

The girl sighed, “Fine. I’ll stay.”

 

The blonde beamed. “Great.”

 

They came to a slow in front of the staircase where grounders were all gathering. “What’s going on?” Octavia asked Clarke.

 

“I don’t know…” They watched the darkened staircase as it was suddenly lit with various torches. The grounders startled both Octavia and Clarke when they broke out into cheers of excitement. On top of the staircase was Lexa of course and she came forth with an intense look on her face.

 

“Today is a very special day.” She began and the cheers quieted. “Today symbolizes the moment in time that our brothers…our sisters, aunts, uncles, mothers and…and ours fathers went out to take back what belonged to us. The blood of our families were shed but not spilled in vain!” The Commander's voice carried throughout the entire village. “Today marks the day that ended the lives of each and every _maun raunon_ that ever threatened us all! Today represents the day that we brought our people back home. My people, it is because of this very day that we can celebrate as one.” She ended and as the Commander made way to take her place on the broken monument, the noise of the crowd fell on deaf ears as those particular green eyes immediately found Clarke’s.

 

“Yep,” Octavia popped the ‘p’ of the word, “totally nothing going on there.” the brunette said sarcastically beside the blonde.

 

“Shut up.” Clarke broke her gaze away from Lexa's and decided to watch the show of grounders instead. They made their way onto the platform twirling rods that were lit on fire at each end. They made a show of twirling and tossing them about and Clarke found it very entertaining, but her good mood only seemed to last for so long.

 

Soon after the show of torches, a group of grounder women came onto the platform and the crowd went silent once more. The drummers banged their fists onto the tops of their drums and created a bass filled, rhythmic beat. At the sound of the beat, the women were seen twisting their hips all on one accord. They all danced in a lively manner smilingly happily and moving with an insane amount of energy with each step, twirl and shake of the hips. Just as their routine was about to end, one of them was bold enough to step away from the others and shimmy her way on over to the Commander.

 

The woman made a show of contorting her waist and raised one leg to drape over the Commander’s lap. She was very bold indeed and surprisingly, the Commander didn’t throw her leg off. She didn’t bother to reach out to the woman either but still, she didn’t shove her away.

 

“Woah, Princess. It looks like you’ve got some competition.” Octavia chuckled lightheartedly at the woman who was now dropped into a split in front of Lexa. “Clarke?” The brunette turned just in time to find Clarke stalking off away from the crowd.

 

 

∞


	12. Urban Flora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated New Years, people.   
> [Edited]

 ∞

 

 

       Clarke was completely lost in her thoughts; thoughts that she hadn’t quite understood, but the urge to get away from everyone else was surely intense. In her haste she barged into someone who quickly caught her forearms to prevent her from stumbling backwards. She was inwardly berating herself for not being more careful and she was more than surprised to see just who caught her.

 

Anya scoffed and quickly let go of the aggravating blonde in front of her. A spiteful comment was on the tip of her tongue but she refrained, finding herself far more interested in the reason for Clarke speedily walking into her.  For a brief moment the warrior had looked over the sky girl’s shoulder and caught sight of exactly what part of the festival was occurring. It didn’t take long, but as soon as Anya mentally put two and two together, slowly, a shit eating grin pulled at her lips. She knew that if she were caught talking to Clarke _(taunting her nonetheless),_ her Heda would have her head on a spike –but she just couldn’t resist.

 

“Clarke?” Anya’s eyebrows were scrunched in false concern and that was one of the very few times she ever addressed the blonde girl by her actual name. “Are you okay?” She spoke sharply, “you look a little _upset_.”

 

Of course Clarke was smart enough to detect the mockery in Anya’s tone, but she wasn’t sure how to respond. At the feel of a hand on her shoulder, Clarke jumped slightly. “Hey, what happened back there?” Octavia asked her with genuine curiosity. Only a split second later the brunette took notice of the grounder woman in front of Clarke. Immediately, recognition showed clearly on Octavia’s face. She remembered this woman from the attack back at their camp and the look the grounder was now giving them both did nothing to soothe the hatred spiking within her.

 

Anya’s voice dropped to a barely audible whisper when she saw Octavia. “Oh, Heda _cannot_ be serious…” The mockery was replaced with disbelief and a tinge of anger. “What, is this a daycare for you worthless sky people now?”

 

Octavia was about to snap at the woman who clearly had a twelve-foot-long pine tree stuck far up her ass, but Clarke beated her to it.

 

“ _Worthless sky people_?” Brows furrowed, fists balled at her sides plus an ugly glare, the blonde huffed indignantly. “What the hell is your problem? Seriously, you’ve been nothing but a _miserable_ _c_ –”

 

Anya’s eyebrows rose slightly, “Oh, I’m miserable because I speak the truth? You really think you mean something to her?” The warrior laughed in a completely uncharacteristic way that had Clarke’s stomach turning. “You’re such a foolish girl. Apparently Heda has gotten you far more comfortable here than I thought possible. You’re so easily swooned it’s _pathetic_.” The distance between them had diminished to a point where Anya was gritting her teeth directly in Clarke’s face. Her voice came out threateningly low, “You are nothing but a pawn in the grand scheme of things, trust me.”

 

With that, she walked away.

 

Odd enough, everything that Anya had said struck a chord within Clarke. Each of her nastily spat words echoed in the blonde’s head and before she knew it, she was running towards the nearest bush, puking up her most recent meal.

 

 

∞

 

 

       As the last of the dancers made their way off of the platform, Lexa’s eyes sought the crowd for Clarke. When she hadn’t found her she rose from her seat and sprinted down the staircase. In the midst of the energetic crowd, she spotted Nyko carrying a limp blonde whose body was draped across his thick forearms.

 

       _“Clarke.”_ The Heda’s heart quickened and as they entered the Commander’s cabin, Lexa took off like a raging panther. By the time she got there, Nyko was just carefully laying the blonde down on the freshly made bed.

 

       Hardly breathless, Lexa was both puzzled as well as she was mad. She hadn’t even registered Octavia who was kneeling at Clarke’s side. She was confused because at one second the blonde sky girl seemed quite content with the ongoing festivities, and then the next second she was looking as pale as an albino and weak to the point where she couldn't even carry her own weight.

 

Trying to seem calm and collected, the Commander looked pointedly at Nyko and murmured. “What – _the_ _hell_ –happened?” Her words came out broken, yet every syllable was ironed with displeasure. She had expected Nyko to stick by Clarke’s side at all times, simply for the blonde girl’s safety. But here they were, Nyko standing beside the bed looking utterly guilty, Clarke lying down feebly and Lexa glowering harshly enough to bring even the burliest of men to their knees in tears.   

 

       “I believe the food didn’t sit too well with her, Heda.” Nyko said but refused to look Lexa in the eyes. “She felt ill and I thought to bring her inside before I informed you.”

 

       The Commander looked uncertain of Nyko. She continued to eye him down for the sake of making him squirm uncomfortably. “Hmm,” Lexa hummed and then looked to Octavia, finally acknowledging the girl. “Is this true? You think the same?”

 

Octavia’s eyes grew wide looking uncertain of whether or not to tell the Commander about what happened with that obnoxious grounder woman. In the end, she nodded in a jerking fashion. “Uhh, yeah, yes –we uhh…had some ribs that didn’t taste all that right.” The brunette crunched her nose, feigning distaste. She looked at Clarke who was way out of sorts, her eyes opened no wider than a squint. The brunette brushed back the hair from Clarke’s perspiring forehead. “She had a few ribs too many, I guess.” She chuckled lightly as a way to play it cool.

 

Lexa still looked skeptical about their admission but decided to leave it be. “Very well, then.” She turned to Nyko. “Show Clarke’s friend to where she will be staying for the night, please. Have the handmaidens bring in some soup and medicinal herbs for me and I expect no further interruptions. I am retiring for the night.”

 

“But Heda, the fest-“ With a single look from Lexa, she effectively silenced the warrior. He bowed his head, “yes, Heda.”

 

 

Once Nyko and Octavia had left the room, Lexa removed all of the elaborate pieces that made up her attire. Her coat, cape, heavy leather boots and all forms of weaponry had been discarded and organized beside the bed. Slowly, Lexa crawled on her knees and sidled up next to the shivering blonde, taking her into her arms and rubbing up and down her pale arms in an effort to warm her up.

 

“Clarke?” The brunette whispered tentatively, pulling the sky girl closer into her frame. “Clarke how are you feeling?” She tried when the girl hadn’t answered her, but instead chose to burrow further into Lexa’s hold. 

 

“Afraid.” Clarke’s tone came unsteady in the dead of the silence.

 

Lexa looked down at the blonde slightly perplexed. _Did someone threaten her? Why on earth would she be afraid?_ Before her mind could conjure up the worst, Lexa decided to ask before possibly getting worked up over nothing. “What are you afraid of, Clarke?”

 

The sky girl took a shuddering breath. She tried to focus on anything _but_ the way Lexa seemed to squeeze her tighter. Protectively. Clarke tried to forget how that… _girl_ was grinding all over Lexa and she tried to squash the unbidden jealousy that came with the awful memory. The blonde took a deep breath and didn’t dare look up at the Commander’s questioning green eyes.

 

“You.”

 

“What?” The brunette shook her head at Clarke’s muffled reply.

 

Taking her face out of Lexa’s abdomen, the blonde traced the intricate design on Lexa’s bicep with the tips of her fingers, still not meeting the Commander’s eyes, she spoke clearer. “You, Lexa. I’m afraid of _you_.”

 

With everything that Anya said, Clarke couldn’t help but feel worried about whatever was or wasn’t blossoming between Lexa and herself.

 

“I’m not sure I follow, Clarke.” Lexa frowned. “Is it because I’m a…shifter?”

 

The skygirl sighed, “well…that is part of the reason, but…”

 

“But what?”

 

“I…I just don’t–“The sound of three soft knocks at the door interrupted Clarke from whatever she went to say.

 

Agitated beyond words at the disturbance, the Commander gave the blonde a look as if to say ‘ _we are not done here’,_ and got up from the bed. She opened the door and quickly received a tray from Talia. She said her thanks, closed the door back and brought it right on over to the bedside.

 

Clarke still felt bad due to her little episode a moment ago, but she didn’t feel as bad since being laid down. With rapt interest, she watched as Lexa sprinkled some finely minced leaves into a steaming bowl of chowder. Afterwards, the soup was stirred with a wooden spoon and Lexa scooped up a little to taste it.  

 

“That should do it.” The brunette spoke softly and went to sit at the edge of the bed. “This should make you feel better.” She carefully blew at a spoonful and put it near Clarke’s lips waiting for her to open up.

 

The blonde looked at the spoon of soup and then at Lexa. After a beat, she swallowed the spoonful and quietly moaned at the warmth and well-seasoned flavor that trickled down her throat. Seafood was her favorite and she could vividly taste the little bits of fish within the soup. Clarke didn’t hesitate to take a second spoonful, and then another…and another and before both of them knew it, the bowl was empty. 

 

Lexa grinned down at her. “You seemed to have enjoyed that.”

 

Clarke blushed. “Yeah.” She said appearing a little livelier. “Seafood wasn’t very common back on the Ark. Soo…I don’t get to have it much and I kinda like it more than any other food.”

 

The Commander put the bowl aside. “I’ll be sure to remember that.” She slipped back into the bed, only this time draping the covers over them both. They lie body to body, face to face. No room for warmth to escape between their pressed frames.

 

With a burning candle being the sole source of light in the room, Lexa spotted something that pulled an earnest laugh from the core of her chest.

 

“What?” Clarke asked befuddled.

 

“You have something–“ Lexa reached a finger outwards to wipe a drop of smudged chowder from Clarke’s cheek. “Right there.” She plopped the finger into her mouth and licked it clean.

 

Clarke’s breath caught in her chest at the action.

 

Even as Lexa leaned in to gently press her lips to the tiny remnants of chowder still on Clarke’s cheek, the blonde lie frozen. She didn’t know how or when Lexa’s soft lips had traveled from her cheek to her jaw line, but when they came to the corner of her own mouth, Clarke gasped deeply and turned her head just a fraction more to the side.

 

For the briefest of moments, they each watched on as the light from the flaming candle flickered in the other’s eyes. Neither knew who closed the remaining distance, but once their lips pressed for the first time in forever, they both melted into the feel of their bodies molded together and their locked-lips brushing and nipping in tandem.

 

Everything else faded into nothingness.

 

 

∞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too bad, right? Until next time...


	13. Beauty's Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter as well as any further chapters are in no way influenced by the most recent season (3) of The 100. I swear that if anything that is written in this story (from here on out) has any similarities with the ongoing plotline of the show, it is purely coincidental. Keep in mind that in this story Clarke still has a great deal of her innocence and hopeful spirit. Unlike on the show where the fall of the mountain strips all of that away from her. 
> 
> Oh and uh, italics either refer to a past event or trigedasleng. Common sense should be enough to figure out when which one is being used. 
> 
> Mistakes are my own and I do not own the 100. 
> 
> [Edited]

∞

 

 

       Any evidence of last night’s festival was practically non-existent the following morning. All villagers of York were up and about before the sunrise, carrying on with their usual morning activities. No matter the amount of ale consumed the night before, no matter the few hours of sleep many of them had or had not gotten. The following day went on just like any other.

 

However, the same could not be said for Clarke who woke up just an hour before noon with a muddled mind and a persistent Octavia who hadn’t even knocked before she barged into her quarters.

 

At first Clarke was thrown by the other sky girl’s presence until her memories of yesterday’s events caught up with her. She groaned tiredly and gave every one of her limbs a good stretch in an effort to get in the appropriate headspace. While Octavia was fussing over her, worriedly examining her from head to toe to ensure that Clarke was physically well, the blonde girl’s eyes grew wide as she gazed unfocusedly at her lap. She blinked once and then again. And although they were slow to start, her thoughts were soon running rampant.

 

She first recalled the grounder woman grinding into Lexa. Then the altercation with Anya. Feeling nauseous. Passing out. Waking up and then being in bed next to Lexa who was– _dare I say_ – playing the role of a gentle and selfless caretaker…?

 

But that wasn't all.

 

Leaning against the headboard Clarke unknowingly shook her head, wondering if she was still suffering from the effects of having consumed a dose of wine too many the night before. But that couldn’t possibly be the case. She consumed no alcohol last night. But, the very last memory she recalled  from the night before was _so_ beyond far-fetched for Clarke to comprehend that she thought she’d _had_ to have been drunk. Slowly the blonde covered her gaping mouth with the cup of her palm and she’d become all about deaf to Octavia’s words.

 

Last night she and the Commander shared an intimate kiss that Clarke had no idea how to feel about.

 

 

∞

 

 

       At breakfast, Clarke and Octavia had engaged in light conversation. They talked about Octavia’s impending return to the sky campsite and the brunette thought to mention how much different the reality of grounder’s lifestyle was compared to the mental image she had created in her mind.

 

       Clarke had first agreed with her brunette friend, admitting that she felt the same way. But when Octavia brought up how she imagined grounders had rituals where they bathed in each other’s blood, then coated one another in dried leaves before chanting into a blazing fire underneath the stars, Clarke just eyed Octavia as if she were the strangest thing to walk the earth.

 

“What?” The brunette shrugged nonchalantly.

 

Clarke hesitated and was almost compelled to smile at her friend’s unusual musings. “Uhh, I will admit that you have a rather...” Clarke clucked her tongue,“… _colorful_ imagination, O. But they’re savages, not practitioners of dark magic.” The blonde rolled her eyes. “Seriously, what books have you been reading back on the Ark?”

 

 

When they had finished up breakfast, Nyko was waiting for them both on the outside. He had told Clarke specifically that the Commander sent her apologies for not being able to attend breakfast. Apparently, the Heda had matters to consult pertaining to her business here in York.

 

_Of course._

 

Clarke frowned as she knew exactly what that meant. She imagined the grounders were rumbling with curiosity about what their Commander would do about the Skailings – _her_ alleged people who resided just beyond the bridge without any concrete knowledge of what this new world held in store for them.

 

       The blonde worried her bottom lip between her teeth hoping that Lexa would not order anything drastic.

 

 

∞

 

 

   Within York’s war cabin sat the Commander, York’s Charge and an unusually mute Anya.

 

Seeing that she was the one to request the meeting, Inrda was the first to speak. _“There have been whispers amongst the trees travelling all the way from the Capitol stating that the Skailings are, if anything, a minor issue that could have easily been dealt with weeks ago.”_ The dark woman embraced her native language with the utmost eloquence. _“Heda, Charges from the other clans are questioning your lack of action.”_

The warrior paused while studying her Commander intently in hopes of a reply.

 

Lexa, however, looked completely unbothered by this revelation. She instead sat with her back ramrod straight, her expression being the ideal depiction of good composure. When she finally spoke it was with unwavering authority, _“Well, it is fortunate that regardless of what ‘whispers travel amongst the trees’, I am the one who has the final say, is it not?”_

The Commander’s reply frustrated her just as much as it worried her. _“ **Heda** ,” _Indra pleaded. _“They are ignorant hatchlings who are capable of no good. Do you not remember the boy and his gun? They strung you up, and for what? I have seen with my own two eyes where they have harmed you. Where is the blood in return for that?”_

_“Were you not there the night that Klark had traded herself?”_ The Commander asked, quickly growing tired of this conversation. She had her intentions set already for what was to be of the Skailings. The problem was that she was still uncertain of how she was going to carry out her plans. And given the fragile (yet budding) trust she had with Clarke, she did not want to risk anything just yet.

For a brief moment Indra looked away, sighed and then looked back at her Heda. _“Which brings me to the more alarming topic amongst the Clans. The girl, Heda. They are even more disturbed by you entertaining the likes of a member of their kind. A handful of our people see it as a great absurdity for you to make the gene impure by breeding her.”_

 

 _“ **That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to address the entire time!** ” _Anya had shot up out of her seat and her exclamation was abrupt and disrespectful to the point where Lexa rose as well, her nose flared a little.

The Commander’s stature was tall and daunting while she spoke sternly. _“According to our culture and according to all of the various enigmatic tales told around the fires at night, it is a great Trikru belief that the gene is a gift bestowed from Luna. Am I wrong?”_

 

Anya looked confused, _“Heda, you talk about culture but it is a **disregard** for our culture by you burying your–“_

 

**_“I dare you to complete that sentence, Anya.”_ **

****

She hadn’t realized how high her volume was until the Commander cut her off with an even more robust tone of her own. The tension in the room had grew tenfold until Anya began to shift under Lexa’s furious glare. _“No. You are correct.”_

 

The Commander huffed and then looked to Indra who nodded once in agreement. _“Right.”_

 

Lexa then placed her open palms flat on the table before them. _“Then tell me, who better to carry my pups than someone who has seen Luna up close in all of her glory? Who better to bear the future Alpha or **Alphas** than someone who had been birthed and brought up among the stars that Luna clothes herself with? Not to mention the fact that Klark challenges me. She leads and she is strong. She has character, unlike many of the women from any of the fifteen clans who will readily open their legs for me without me even asking.” _ The Commander slowly shook her head, _“That is no great sacrifice.”_

 

The Commander’s words left Indra and Anya both dumb.

 

And Lexa gave them no amount of time to find their tongues. Just before she called the meeting to an end, she made one final statement left with no room for argument. " _ **No one** is to question my decisions.”_

 

 

∞

 

 

       Pinecones and lavender.

 

       It was by those two blended scents alone that Clarke was able to tell who had approached her from behind. “Your friend is almost as good as you are.” The Commander’s voice only confirmed Clarke’s suspicion and the blonde’s cheeks reddened when Lexa had gently pulled Clarke in by the waist, flush against her front and buried her face down into the crook of the sky girl’s neck. The Commander inhaled her scent and pressed a soft kiss to wherever her lips landed. “Almost,” Lexa murmured and looked back upward to where Octavia and Nyko were going at it with a pair of bamboo sticks.

 

       Clarke found that she liked the warmth provided from the body pressed so earnestly into hers. Although, this new and blunt display of affection made Clarke feel a tad bit uncomfortable. “U-uh, yeah.” Clarke swallowed not exactly sure how to behave or what else to say in her current situation. “Yeah,” she repeated lamely. The Commander slackened her hold on the blonde for the other girl to turn in her arms.

 

It had been weeks since Clarke had been staying at York and within that time frame, Clarke had learned so much. She had been exposed to the typical daily life of the Trikru people and she and Lexa had spent a handful of moments (some being intentional and others not so much) learning about each other.

 

Despite all that though, the Commander’s stay in York was a little overdue and she had responsibilities back in Polis she must tend to. She would like it if Clarke consensually went back to the Capitol with her, but there was a major wrinkle within that plan.

 

“How did your meeting go?” Clarke asked.

 

Lexa was not aware that she was frowning until she saw the concerned look on Clarke’s face. “It’s nothing worth mentioning. Nothing to worry about.” The brunette held a hand up to caress Clarke’s cheek. “Are you feeling any better since the festival?”

 

The blonde smile faintly. “ _Sha._ ”

 

The look of surprise on Lexa’s face due to Clarke speaking her language was surely one for the books.

 

Clarke grinned even brighter because she had also been able to pick up on a few Trikru terms since her stay here. “Thank you for last night,” she stated softly before she dipped her chin. “You know…for taking care of me and all.”

 

Lexa smirked at the blonde’s sheepish behavior. She raised Clarke’s head by the girl’s chin using the curl of her index finger. “There is no need to thank me.” The brunette leaned in to kiss her chastely on the lips.

 

When the Commander pulled away Clarke nearly whined. _Nearly_. At the last second she trapped the sound under her tongue and shook her head, mildly agitated. She looked up at the green eyes boring down at her. “What does this all mean, Lexa?”

 

They were both oblivious to the numerous eyes of villagers staring at them and exchanging whispers.

 

Sighing deeply, Lexa thought that it was a better time than any to talk with Clarke. “Not here,” she said. “Come with me. There is something I need to ask of you.”

 

Clarke looked back around at Octavia still fiercely at it with her now split bamboo stick, an end in each of her flailing hands.

 

“Your friend will be safe with Nyko until her departure. We should be back in time for you to see her off.” The Commander assured her.

 

The sky girl was hesitant to leave Octavia but in the end, she turned back to face the brunette. “Okay. Where are we going?”

 

Lexa did not answer, but instead took one of the girl’s smaller, pale hands in her own and led the way.

 

 

∞

 

 

It was quite the walk to get to their destination, meaning they were a great distance away from the village.

 

There were many things on this earth that Clarke had yet to encounter, but a lot of what she had seen so far had still not cease to amaze her. Once Lexa released her hold of Clarke’s hand, the blonde twirled in a full circle; taking in everything about the scenery around her and found herself grinning widely.

 

They were in a great field of flowers that ran along seemingly endless yards of bright, green grass.

 

      To someone who grew up on earth it may seem like such a stupid thing to be in such awe over, something as simple as a bunch of flowers. But Clarke didn’t care because it was absolutely beautiful and she’d never had this privilege until now. She took her time studying every cluster of petals at her feet.

 

“Clarke?” Lexa called.

 

“Hmm?” She spun as if she forgot that she wasn’t alone.

 

“Are you alright?” The brunette came back near her side.

 

The sky girl smiled at the sight of busy bees carrying pollen grains all about, fluttering their wings and buzzing as they went.

 

“I’m more than alright,” she mumbled. And it might have been something she felt compelled to do given her good mood. Or it could’ve been because she felt that Lexa might seriously have her best interests at heart. But for whatever reason it was, Clarke tiptoed a bit and reeled Lexa in down by the neck. She prodded the tip of her tongue between the slit of Lexa’s lips as a way to pry them apart and when Lexa resisted none, Clarke teasingly stroked her tongue along the roof of the brunette’s mouth. Clarke was a little startled to hear a deep rumble akin to an animal’s purr sound from the back of Lexa’s throat, but it wasn’t off-putting enough for her to back away without nibbling the flesh of the Commander’s bottom lip. When she pulled away completely, there was an innocent smile on Clarke’s face. “We’re alone now…talk to me.”

 

Lexa was _literally_ still and quiet as a brick for at least a minute.

 

That was the first time that Clarke has ever initiated anything intimate between them without any incentive. Not to mention how she’d done it so forwardly and behaved as though she’d already done it a million times before. The Commander swallowed and desperately fought the surge of heated blood rushing to her groin.

 

The brunette gritted her teeth and hoped by sheer will that the increasing pressure in her trousers would go away. She stepped back some to put some distance between Clarke and herself. She saw the way the blonde deflated a little at her actions, probably seeing it as Lexa rejecting her, but the space was needed in order for Lexa to think and form words coherently. _Having an erection would just make this all the more complicated,_ the Commander thought and tried to reign in some control.

The brunette straightened her posture and cleared her throat. “I brought you out here because I must be leaving Polis very soon and I would like for you to come along with me.”

 

Clarke herself stepped back. “What?” she sounded utterly confused. “Polis?”

 

“Yes, Clarke. I have other clans that I am expected to cater to and there are matters brewing at the capital that call for my attention. I’m contemplating leaving in two days’ time, actually.” Lexa studied Clarke’s features intently.

 

“And me?” Clarke swallowed. “If I were to go with you, what am I expected to do?”

 

“You’d be willing to go?” The Commander’s eyebrows furrowed thinking that it couldn’t have been that easy for Clarke to agree to leave with her.

 

“I never said that.”

 

Lexa hummed. “Well, I am aware of your healing capabilities and I was hoping that you could aid some of the children and elders within the sick bay. I’ve been informed that the unwell have doubled since I’ve left.”

 

Clarke was skeptical about everything that Lexa was saying. Not because she didn’t believe what the Commander was telling her, but she was doubtful of how these people within the other clans would perceive her. It took some time for those of York to even tolerate her presence and York wasn’t even the largest of the clans. Not to mention she would be even further away from those of the Skaikru and she would know no one else other than Lexa who most likely won’t have nearly as much time for her as she does now. Clarke found herself frowning at all of it, “And if I say no?”

 

“I’m hoping it wouldn’t come to that. I much rather it be consensual on your part but…”

 

“But?”

 

The brunette sighed, unwilling to voice that she’d have Clarke brought along with her either way. Which brought Lexa to the main reason why she brought Clarke out here, this far away from the village. “Are you afraid of me, Clarke?”

 

The blonde looked a little caught off guard by the sudden change of topic as Lexa slowly began to approach her. Clarke fought the urge to back up as the Commander came forth. “Is th-there a reason for me to be afraid of you?”

 

When they were toe to toe, Lexa leaned in and softly whispered. “You remember the very first time you saw me, do you?”

 

The way that Lexa asked it left no room to misinterpret what she was referring to. The thing is, Clarke wouldn’t be able to erase the memory from her mind even if she tried. The memory of a dark beast with mountainous height and a thundering growl. Clarke clearly remembered being face to snout with Lexa’s snarl full of pointed canines.

 

“I remember,” Clarke looked directly into Lexa’s eyes and nearly flinched when the brunette raised her hands to cup Clarke’s cheeks.

 

“And…?” Lexa prodded.

 

She could feel Lexa’s warm breath brush against her lips. “And…it…it does.” Clarke swallowed before exhaling deeply. “It does frighten me a little…to see you like that.”

 

Lexa brought her forehead to Clarke’s and pulled the girl in closer to herself. When she spoke, her voice was calm and meant to sound as sincere as she could manage. “Clarke, if there is anyone who should not fear the Alpha in me, it is you.” In an instant Lexa backed up and began working her fingers at the ties of her trousers.

 

Clarke brows quirked in puzzlement first over the brunette’s words and then by her current actions. “Wait, what are you doing?”

 

Once she removed her pants, the Commander started to unlace her boots. She glanced at Clarke, “You’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

 

 

∞

 

 

_.:Some Years Ago in Polis:._

 

       _The very first time it had happened must have been the most excruciating, yet thrilling experience that she had ever encountered. She remembered waking up on the underside of her woolen cot, the entirety of her face, neck and limbs coated in a heavy layer of sweat. The sun hadn’t risen just yet but it felt as though she were suffering from a brutal heatstroke. Gasping irregularly, young Lexa threw the warm animal pelts off of her small, quivering frame and without further thought she yelled, disturbing the stillness of night._

_“Nomon!” It shocked her to find how awfully parched her throat felt. The young Heda clawed at her slick neck with the dull crescents of her nails. “No-m-mon!” She wheezed out loud in discomfort just as her mother rushed through the divider of her bedchambers._

_“Hodnes!” The woman rushed to her daughter’s side, her worried eyes flickered all about inspecting the room for any possible intruders. When she found no one else but her trembling girl, she dropped to her knees near the bedside looking Lexa over. “What troubles you, little one?” As she cupped Lexa’s pale cheeks in her hands, her concern turned into puzzlement because of how clammy her skin felt._

_The young girl fought against her seemingly thickening throat. “I don’t feel– well. It’s s-so warm in here and–“ Lexa’s eyes grew the size of saucers when she felt a stabbing pain within her shoulder blades and while she herself could not see it, she was familiar enough with the burning sensation behind her eye sockets to know it was happening._

_A vivid look of recognition showed on her mother’s face and for a moment, Beatrice stood unnervingly still. She’d seen this happen to her daughter multiple times before. Whenever Lexa’s emotions would become too intense, whether it be glee, anger or sadness, or whenever the child got a little overwhelmed, she’d seen how Lexa’s eyes would turn into an electrifying shade of green; but never before has she seen it like this. The whites of the young girl’s eyes were_ literally _luminescent and her pupils were as black and full as a cauldron of molten tar._

_This could have only meant one thing._

_Given her daughter’s rising in age and the sequence of whole moons that hung amongst the clouds over the past few nights, Beatrice knew this was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Yet, she was hoping that they had more time. She was pulled from her dazed state when Lexa released a piercing yelp laced with agony. It sounded achingly similar to the cry of a hound. But of course it would…because her little one –her young pup was shifting for the very first time._

 

 

∞

 

 

_.:Present Time:._

Lexa was naked.

 

Clarke was as red as a length of metal fresh out of a scorching flame _and Lexa was naked_. Standing to her full height completely unashamed, the Commander threw her undergarment into the pile of her other articles of clothing.

 

Her arms were relaxed at her sides and the tendrils of her braided hair curtained the majority of her chest from over her shoulders. The muscles of her abdomen quivered as a gust of wind blew by and Clarke found herself unable to remove her gaze from the partially rigid cock protruding proudly at Lexa’s crotch.

 

Lexa would’ve been smirking and bustling with pride had the situation not been a dire one. She genuinely wanted for Clarke to be well acquainted with the Alpha within her and to Lexa, this was the best way to do it.

 

“You’re staring,” Lexa said.

 

Clarke looked up at Lexa for the briefest of nanoseconds only to look back down at the brunette’s length. “And you’re naked.” The skygirl’s breathing accelerated and she had to force herself to look away. She fought the urge to brush one of her thighs into the next and hurriedly choked out, “why?”

 

Lexa ignored her. “Promise me you won’t run.”

 

“Run? Why would–“

 

“Clarke.” The brunette cut her short. “Just _promise_ me you won’t run.”

 

“Okay, okay. I promise.” Clarke took a shuddering breath, “I won’t run.” Even as she said the words she felt an uneasy weight settle in the pit of her stomach for what was about to happen.

 

“Okay.” Lexa gently squeezed Clarke’s hands before backing away entirely.

 

The blonde wrapped her arms around her own waist practically oozing anxiety as she watched Lexa get further and further away.

 

She started off with a jog and as the wind picked up, so did she. Lexa smiled at the familiar feeling of her bones realigning themselves. She smiled at the burst of adrenaline circuiting throughout her limbs. The small hairs on her body grew until she was covered in a warm coat of dark fur. And with that, her joints snapped and twisted, her shoulders and back broadened while hands and feet morphed into heavy paws with sharpened claws. She felt the extension of her tail right near the base of her curved spine and her tongue grew thick behind the threatening rows of teeth in her mouth.

 

In this form her senses heightened. Every scent, sound and sight were intensified tenfold.

 

Lexa had fully shifted by the time she circled the entire meadow.

 

At the center of the landscape, Clarke stood paralyzed. She did not run. She did not utter a sound. She dared not move a muscle. Lexa, no, the Wolf was now approaching her and she was unsure of how to breathe in that moment. What she just witnessed a moment ago defied any and everything she was either taught or read about the human body. Every law in the books of science, broken.

 

She had seen Lexa shift back into her human form all those weeks ago when they first met. But to see it again in broad daylight was both a horrifying and downright mind boggling experience.

 

It was startling how _big_ the Wolf was. The beast got closer and closer until Clarke was under the Wolf’s imposing shadow.

 

The sky girl just stared. Not sure what to say even if her voice managed not to break.

 

Lexa saw the turmoil that Clarke was facing and so she made the first move to alleviate Clarke’s fears. She slowly lowered herself to the ground and jerked her head to her side as if to say, “Go ahead. Hop on.”

 

There was a great deal of hesitation on Clarke’s end but Lexa’s fur looked so soft to touch and curiosity got  the best of her. Carefully, the blonde extended her arm and slowly ran her fingers through the thick expanse of fur. And just as she had imagined it to be, it was as soft as a yard of silk. The Wolf purred at her touch and Clarke felt herself relax a little at that. _This is still the same Lexa who took care of you the night before, Clarke. Only in a bigger…furrier and more daunting form._

 

Before she could talk herself out of it, Clarke struggled somewhat to hike herself up onto the top of the Wolf’s back. She squealed when Lexa rose to her full height yet again and held on for dear life when the Wolf started a quickening trot. It reminded Clarke of her first time riding on Kyoshi. Only this was way better.

 

They broke off from the meadow and took to the woods. Every sounds of wildlife that Lexa normally took delight in listening out of for was drowned away by the boisterous laughter of the blonde haired girl on her back. No nightingale or melodious robin could sing a sweeter song than the sounds of Clarke’s laughter. Drunk on that sound alone, Lexa moved even faster. She threaded her way in and out of tree stalks, up and over rocks. She kept at it until she noticed that the sun was way further on the west side than it was when they first came out here.

 

She inwardly sighed at how the time had passed so quickly. Nevertheless, Lexa set route for the meadows and merely reveled in the fact that, after this experience, Clarke should have no more reason to fear Lexa’s Alpha.

 

 

∞

 

 

“I’ll never forget this…”

 

They were back in the field of flowers and Lexa had already redressed. Clarke was laid out, her back to Lexa’s chest as the brunette held her close.

 

Clarke still had a dazed smile on her face while she looked up at Lexa. “This is a moment that I’ll always cherish. Thank you, seriously.”

 

Lexa just kissed the sky girl’s forehead. “I don’t want you to fear me.”

 

The blonde’s smile faltered a little. “Does it hurt?” She asked. “When you shift, I mean.”

 

Lexa was silent for a moment. “No.” She reached for one of Clarke’s hands and mindlessly began to trace the creases in the blonde’s soft palm. “Not like it did the first time around.”

 

“Do you like it?”

 

Lexa paused her tracing and smiled. “Do I like it?”

 

Clarke licked her lips trying to think of a better way to rephrase her question. “I’m saying that, if you had a choice, would you have chosen to be…normal?”

 

Now it was Lexa’s smile that faltered. It was such a simple question yet the answer held so much weight. But after the relatively good day that they’ve been having so far, Lexa preferred to not screw it up with talks about her complicated life growing up. So she replied with, “It is a blessing to me just as much as it is a curse.”

 

Clarke only hummed, she did not elaborate and was wise enough to not pry any further. In an effort to lighten the mood again, Clarke smiled, “Hey Lex?” The Commander raised an eyebrow at the girl for shortening her name but said nothing otherwise. “How do you say ‘I would love to go to Polis with you’ in trigedasleng?” The girl bit her bottom lip while waiting for Lexa’s reaction.

 

The Commander stared down blankly at Clarke. “Are you serious?” She blinked, “You want to come?”

 

Clarke nodded her head and burrowed further into Lexa’s chest, “I want to come.”

 

Lexa couldn’t possibly hold the sky girl any tighter without hurting her. She was glad to hear this. This way she would not have to force Clarke into it. “That makes–“

 

“Heda!”

 

Both Clarke and Lexa were startled from their positions on the bed of flowers. Quickly approaching their spot in the meadow was the blacksmith, Daisy.

 

“Heda, you need come quick!”

 

The round woman was panting furiously by the time she reached them. “Skaikru bring guns to the village, Heda. They fight for your mate–“ Daisy paused to bow shortly towards Clarke, “–and the other Skaikru girl.”

 

Just as quickly as Lexa took in what message the blacksmith brought, anger began to fester within the Commander. Because the thought of having this day end on a well note and no bloodshed was apparently too good to be true.

 

Well, if anyone of those imbecilic Skaikru hatchlings thought they could just come blaring their guns, harm her people and just take Clarke away from her, they have another thing coming.

 

Heads will roll before anyone took Clarke away from her.

 

∞


	14. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just borrowing some fresh faces. I own nada.  
> [Edited]

 ∞

 

 

            The guards who were usually assigned to the western gates were absent from their posts. And the Commander was certain that the loud hollering coming from the other side surely had something to do with it. Behind her, Clarke and Daisy were both breathless and each had panicked expressions on their faces.

 

The burly, redheaded woman had her back hunched and her thick hands were clutching at her knees as she panted. “Wah-…what we do now, Heda?”

 

Lexa looked at a frazzled Clarke and then towards the blacksmith.

 

Without out a doubt, she knew that this careless attack brought on by the Sky People would do nothing but tarnish the relatively good reputation Clarke had earned amongst the Trikru. The progress Clarke had made in the past few weeks would all crumble to nothing, because the chaos happening behind these gates would only remind her people that Clarke was one of _them;_ a loathsome sky person _,_ a misfit _,_ an opponent _._ She worried for Clarke’s safety.

 

The air was thick with the sound of ricocheting bullets and the Commander had a fire in her eyes as she spoke sternly to the grounder woman. “Listen and listen good,” she said. “Your only objective right now is to keep _her-”_ the brunette directed her index finger towards Clarke, “-protected.” Lexa gritted her teeth at the thought of anything bad happening to Clarke. “If she is harmed in any way, shape or form –that causes you fifty lashes. If she is somehow captured in this fight, exile will be the least of your worries. And if she _dies_ in this crossfire, on _your_ watch…” the Commander’s head tilted upwards, not once breaking eye contact with the blacksmith, “well I think you know what you’re fated to.”

 

It was somewhat astounding, and somewhat comical to see someone like Daisy (who was twice the Commander’s size) quivering on the spot all because of a few (crucial) threats made by the Trikru leader. “Am I clear?” Lexa rose an eyebrow, daring the redhead to challenge her.

 

“No-no, Heda.” The blacksmith fought hard to swallow the swell in her throat.

 

Maybe the Commander was being dramatic, maybe she hadn't cared. After all, Clarke’s safety was the number one priority on her list. Clarke would give her people the strongest litter of Alphas Trikru had yet to see. Therefore, she would do just about anything to keep the Sky girl safe.

 

“Good.” Lexa then turned to the blonde and took a hold of her hands. “Now Clarke, I need you to go with-“

 

“No.”

 

The brunette paused shortly then looked at Clarke confused. “No?” She frowned. “What do you mean _‘no’_?”

 

Clarke tugged her hands away from Lexa’s. “I’m not going anywhere. Those are _my_ people behind those gates.”

 

          “Clarke, it is seriously not the time for your stubbornness,” the Commander sighed. “You must get to somewhere s-“ The brunette stopped short when the sound of creaking hinges came from behind. Alarmed, the Commander swiftly yanked at the twin daggers slotted in her boots and spun around taking on a defensive stance. She was more than ready to use the sharpened weapons to pierce the heart of anyone she hadn't identified as her own.

 

However, her quickening heartbeat came to a slow the moment she spotted two young boys squeezing their way between the small opening of the gates. One was limping with his hand pressed firmly into his right leg that was profusely oozing blood, while the other visibly struggled to carry his friend’s weight.

 

They were Trikru…so the Commander had no trouble interpreting their words.

 

" _I have you brother, I’ve got you.”_ Said the one who was readjusting his hold onto the handicapped boy.

 

They each looked no older than seven, which had Clarke standing wide eyed while battling the sudden nausea she felt.

 

She’d recognize a bullet wound anywhere.

 

Her people did this.

 

She blinked rapidly as if wishing the image before her would just vanish, hoping it wasn’t real. _My people did this?_ The weight of the thought was becoming too much to bear. _No._ She shook her head furiously and wiped angrily at the tears that stung her eyes before rushing over to the injured boys.

 

          Based on their startled expressions, the children clearly thought they were the only Yorkers on the outside. But then one of them narrowed his eyes when he realized the blonde woman approaching them was in fact _not_ Trikru. “Get back!” The boy held out a trembling arm towards Clarke.

 

          “Hey, hey.” Clarke showed both her palms in an effort to calm the wary child down some. “I just want to help.” She pleaded softly then looked over her shoulder towards Lexa. The boy followed her gaze.

 

His face lit up a little at the sight of his Commander. “Heda! Heda! _The people from the sky are in the village.”_ He warned in his high pitched voice. _“They hurt us,”_ His little narrowed eyes fell back on Clarke. _“Do not trust them.”_

 

          Recovered from her stupor, Lexa looked to Clarke for a final time and whispered deadly. “This ends now.”

 

 

∞

 

 

At the center of the Village she counted three Skairkru.

 

She expected ten at least.

 

She figured that _at least_ ten Skaikru members would be responsible for this unfortunate turn of events.

 

And to make matters even worse, neither of the three Skaikru persons were unfamiliar to the Commander.

 

One of them she recognized as the imbecile who lead the group of scavengers the same night she met Clarke. Lexa was pleased to find him bent at the knees in a constricting choke-hold where he struggled to look her way given his poor vantage point. The Commander was even more pleased when Indra seemed to tighten her grip by flexing her bicep around his throat. It was nice to see the boy’s red face take on a sickly purple color.

 

The second infiltrator stood directly behind her. Lexa could not see his face but she knew his sickening smell well enough. If her senses served her well, he was the same boy that knelt at her throne not too long ago. All bloodied, mewling and just downright pathetic, she clearly recalled him once flinching against the straw bag tightly tied around his head. There was a cold solid –a sort of metal, she believed– pressed to the nape of her neck and when she heard a soft click sound right at the back of her head, right away Lexa knew it was a gun. She assumed it was the sound of the safety being removed. Yes, the boy had a gun pressed firmly near the base of the Commander’s skull and while some might think that that would worry her, it didn’t.

 

Not even a little bit.

 

No, the reason for her rapidly thumping heart was because of the third Skai person standing just a few feet away.

 

 _Him_ she could not possibly forget. He was apparently the daftest of the trio, the same one who sent a scalding bullet through her leg however many weeks ago. She quickly deduced that _he_ would be the one to suffer the most. As sure as the blood running through her veins flowed black, the Commander would make it certain that he died in the worst of ways.

 

It did not help his case that he had a rusting knife pressed harshly into the neck of a young girl. The Grounder leader was proud of the child for trying to keep a brave face while a dagger was pricking at her throat, but she could see the girl was on the brink of breaking down into a bout of fearful pleas.

 

“Where is she?” Finn gritted out while looking directly at the Commander.

 

Lexa hadn’t bat an eyelash, hadn’t moved a muscle.

 

In fact, no Trikru person moved. Instead, they all watched; out of ire more than curiosity because they knew that this would only end in one way. Blood must have blood. And the image of a scattered handful of injured Trikru people, either laying limp or unconscious on the dusty grounds, prophesied that three fires ought to be prepared tonight. For three dead bodies will fall before the first star peeped through the darkening sky.

 

Apparently, the Commander’s silence was beginning to grate on Finn’s nerves. His bruised knuckles cracked a little when he adjusted his hold on the knife against the young girl’s throat. “I said. Where. Is. She!?!” He shouted, the veins in his neck angry and prominent.

 

Still, the Commander did not flinch.

 

“You think you are a man.” She tilted her head to one side (completely unfazed by the loaded weapon shifting into her hairline). Her eyes trailed from the flat of Finn’s boots way on up towards his split forehead. “You bruise like ripened fruit and you are still healing, I see.” She hadn’t intended to taunt the boy, just voicing honest observations. She looked him dead in the eyes then, “I don’t know what it is you think to accomplish by this… _counterfeit_ display of power. But I assure you, you made a grave mistake returning here, _boy._ ” The underlying growl in her voice had Finn shifting from foot to foot where he stood.

 

Yet he gritted his teeth even harder. “I swear to you, I will slit her throat.” The girl was nearly whimpering now that Finn increased his applied pressure. “Where the fuck is Clarke?!!”

 

“A-and my s-sister!” From the side Bellamy managed to croak out spitefully.

 

Finn pressed even harder and a small drop of red could be seen seeping from the girl’s neck. ‘ _Beja!_ ’ The child finally caved in. “I won’t ask again!” The boy hollered.

 

Completely ignoring Indra’s captive, Lexa’s attention lay solely on Finn. “Release the child.” Her eyes had a green spark to them now and her patience was quickly waning.

 

Finn’s hands were trembling at this point but there was more blood trickling from the child’s stretched throat. He wasn’t relenting. “ **Answer me!** ” Finn spat and shook his head violently. “You started _all_ of this shit! And what? You expect to just get away with it? You think you can invade _our_ territory, _kidnap me_ , then beat me black and blue and not get a retaliation?!?” He’d had a crazed look in his eyes. “Just who do you think you are, huh? You don’t _own_ the ground,” he paused to roughly lick at his lips. “And you sure as hell don’t own me.”

 

Right that second two things occurred.

 

Amongst the injured set of the Trikru, from the hard ground a mother wailed in agony to see the life taken away from the youngest of her young.

 

At the same time, just behind the Commander, Wells was caught off guard when a hand furiously tugged at his outstretched arm to move the gun away from Lexa’s head.

 

“What the hell are you doing!?” Someone belted out at the boy. But he was too startled, his mind was clouded with panic and in a moment of flight or fight, he took the rifle and bashed it hard into the person’s head. A moment too late he realized that it was Clarke he knocked to the ground. The blonde fell with a pained _‘oomf_ ’ and a resounding thud. Her head lolled to one side and her vision blurred but she was still barely able to see Finn’s blood stained hands in the distance. So much was going on that she could hardly process any of it. She was hardly able to make out the manic expression on his face and soon, his eyes met her own.

 

That’s when everything seemed to have dawned on the boy.

 

Regret and horror slowly settled in his system when he glanced again at the dead child curled up breathless at his feet.

 

And just before Clarke’s eyes fell shut, Finn mouthed what he knew would be his last words to the girl. “I did it for you.”

 

As Clarke lay unmoving, the Commander felt something quake in the pit of her stomach. It was a familiar feeling and before she herself could reign it in, her clothing was minced to shreds and she felt herself shifting.

 

The ire of her Alpha called for vengeance.

 

So without thinking, she sent her heavily clawed paw snatching at the boy who once held the gun at her head. Her pointed nails curved deeply into the meat of his back and the action had him screeching in pain. For Wells, it had to have been the most excruciating pain he’d ever felt. His back felt like it was pulled taut over a crackling fire and the added weight of the Wolf’s paw only caused his spine to curve in a way that was just inhumanly possible.

 

 _You hurt her. Biggest mistake ever._ A hauntingly deep voice sounded in his head –and holy shit, urine was seeping into the crotch of his pants. His vision was going dark and if he hadn’t thought that he was dying, he would have been completely grateful. He’d rather be unconscious than go through this.

 

When the boy became still, the Commander lifted her paw up from the human’s frame. She went over to Clarke and gently nudged at the girl’s neck with her snout. A pulse was clear. Lexa could also hear the girl’s faint heartbeat, but the ugly gash at the side of her temple concerned the Wolf. She definitely did not want it to get infected.

 

“ _Oh my-_ Heda _...”_

 

The Commander raised her large head and her dark ears flickered while a snarl formed on her face.

 

Daisy was standing a couple steps away with her hands gripping at the edges of her hair in shock. “I…” The redhead lowered her hands and approached slowly –cautiously. “I did not know.” Daisy said, “I mean it. Sh-she told me to get some leaves for the boy’s womb.” The blacksmith’s arms flailed to emphasize the truth to her story. “I speak true Heda, I come back to the boy and your mate was gone!”

 

Lexa’s snarl did not go away when the Wolf stood up from her crouch near Clarke. She was towering over the blacksmith while growling heavily.

 

_I have no desire to hear the details of your incompetence. You will be dealt with as promised._

 

The blacksmith seemed to have interpreted the guttural sound because Daisy bowed her head ashamedly and just as she was about to apologize for her failure, the Commander swiftly turned away from her. Lexa had quickly stormed off in Finn’s direction. In his moment of distraught, one of her warriors had rid him of all his weapons while the other roped him up, gagged him and harshly shoved him to the floor.

 

All eyes were on him, the murderer.

 

_Jus drein, jus daun._

It started as a single chant repeated passionately by one Trikru person.

 

_Jus drein, jus daun. Jus drein, jus daun._

Like a chain reaction, a single chant turned into two, until it became an army of voices all on one accord demanding one thing.

 

Of course Lexa wanted nothing more than to pounce on the foolish Skailing and sink her canines so far into Finn’s neck that his flesh would tear abruptly. She wanted very badly to see his head lol to one side, becoming too much for his shoulders to carry. She would revel at the way it would then snap, detach from his body and show his eyes remaining open in static fear.

 

But the call for this fool’s blood by the horde of her people made her step back.

 

Throwing her head back, the Wolf howled to the skies.

 

_My people sharpen your swords, for blood **will** have blood!_

And each Yorker followed it up with loud cries of their own.

 

∞

 

 

        Laid out flat across the training grounds, Nyko groaned painfully. He blinked several times before he struggled to get to his feet.

 

He was disoriented for a long moment until realization dawned on him. _The girl._ His eyes frantically scattered the surrounding area in search for Octavia.

 

The bamboo sticks they were using earlier were each split in pieces and the metal sword he kept dear to him was thrown to the far side with a dribble of dried blood along its length.

 

 _“What the…?”_ He breathed out confusedly and limped on over to retrieve his battered weapon.

 

He couldn’t quite remember what had happened that left him passed out for heaven only knows how long, but the fresh slits engraved in his forearms and the pain in his thigh told him that some foe got the best of him. And with Clarke’s friend being nowhere in sight…he could only assume that the brunette had something to do with it.

 

        Suddenly, Nyko’s head shot in the direction of the sound of what he knew to be the Alpha’s howl.

 

        Something wasn’t right.

 

        He felt an unpleasant feeling begin to churn on his insides. He could deeply tell that something was amiss and as he heard the ill-defined wailing of his people, followed up by their Heda’s own angered roar, Nyko hollered himself.

 

 

∞

 

 

        The next day York’s war room was disturbingly quiet.

 

Very few people slept the night before, including the Commander.

 

The Alpha sighed and got up from her place at the war table. Silently, she walked to the wall of the room that displayed a great map of Trikru lands. Her eyes scanned all fifteen divisions and every body of water that separated them.

 

“Here,” her voice filled the room. She had stabbed a single index finger into a blotch of woods that was just where the Skaikru’s spacecraft landed. “Here is where our problem lays.” She said without turning her attention away from the map. The room remained quiet while Lexa’s finger moved to trace directly over a little bridge and paused where a large gathering of 2-D huts were drawn. “This is where we are, yes?” Finally she turned.

 

All who surrounded the war table included York’s three best warriors, York’s Head guard, York’s Second and York’s Charge. They eyed each other confusedly unsure if their Heda expected them to answer or if it was just a rhetorical question.

 

 _“This is where we are, is it not?_ ” The Commander bit out in their native language.

 

Everyone at the table either cleared their throat or shifted in their seats. “Sha, Heda,” they replied in unison.

 

The Grounder leader then dipped her chin into her chest, clasped her hands behind her back and circled around the group. “So…in the name of Luna, can someone please tell me how those infiltrators got pass the watchers of the forest?” Her head rose and she narrowed her focus on the Head guard.

 

“They started f-fires, Heda. Skaikru have reduced all the woods by the bridge to ashes.” The Head guard said. “We managed to gather most of the children and elders in the safety bunkers at the north segment of the village, but not all of them made it to the underground shelter. Some were caught in the commotion of Skaikru’s shootout.”

 

“They have the advantage of distance, Heda.” One of the warriors spoke up then. “With their kind of weaponry, they strike us far sooner than we can even get close enough to strike back.”

 

The Commander was motionless during the moment she took to process what was said. Fighting the urge to sigh, she retook her seat.

 

Yesterday should have never happened. This made things so much more complicated than it had to be.

 

Her eyes fell shut and she pressed her fingers into her temples. “How many?” The Leader asked.

 

When nobody seemed brave enough to answer, Indra bit the inside of her cheek and replied. “Eleven, Heda.”

 

 _Now_ Lexa sighed.

 

“Specifically?” She opened her eyes wanting to know exactly what the Sky people would be charged with.

 

“Three children were shot, but they live. Also, four women and three men. Again, they all suffer from Skaikru gunplay.” Indra inhaled deeply. “There was only one killing, Heda…which we all know of.” York’s Charge trailed off solemnly and silence filled the room once again.

 

      Again, yesterday truly should not have happened. But it did. So now it was up to the Commander to rectify the situation on behalf of her people.

 

        But then there was Clarke.

 

        Because of Clarke, it would not be so simple to wipeout the remains of Sky People that resided beyond the bridge.

 

        Despite this, Lexa could not and would not ignore the casualties of the night before. The Commander’s nose flared shortly and the events of last night came rushing back to her. She remembered the smell of burnt flesh and spilt blood. She clearly recalled the mournful and infuriated clamoring of Tree People as the murderer was strung up to a great log that was lodged vertically into the ground.

 

The boy was weaker than the Alpha had thought. He hadn’t even lived to see the thirtieth dagger.

 

Even still, last night would not suffice. Her people were _hungry_. They demanded the blood of their enemies and given different circumstances, Lexa would readily let them have it. But Clarke would never trust her if she were to approve the commencement of a Skaikru slaughter. The girl would never grow fond of her, she would never lay down for her and Lexa refused to force her in any way.

 

Sure, her people had a great deal of practices that could somehow be considered ‘harsh’, but Tree People were not at all keen on _any_ form of sexual assault.

 

She wanted to earn Clarke’s trust and consent, but the sky girl would surely loathe Lexa with all that she had if the brunette ordered her warriors to raid the Sky camp and decapitate everyone there.

 

Which, again, made this all so much more difficult than it had to be.

 

The Commander was at a loss for what to do, but she knew that something must be done.

 

“Representors from the other clans are raving, Heda.” Anya leaned forward against the table. “Trikru will never live in peace amongst those that threaten us. Especially those that threaten us without reason.” Two of the warriors nodded their heads in agreement with Anya. “I say we kill them all. Including… _her_.”

 

The Commander’s face contorted as if she were about bark at the mere suggestion of killing Clarke. However, one of the warriors spoke before she could, “Sha, Heda. For all we know the girl-“

 

“She has a _name_ , Cyrus.” The Commander gritted agitatedly. “Use it.”

 

The muscular man cleared his throat seeming as though he regretted speaking at all. “Right- I uhm…my apologies, Heda. _C-clarke…_ could have summoned for help. She could have been the one who called for-“

 

The Commander’s hand held upright gave the man pause. “Let me inform you.” The leader stated calmly. “Your assumptions about Clarke are beyond inaccurate. She had absolutely no means to contact anyone from the Skaikru and she had made an honest devotion in keeping a place amongst us, which I’m sure you were a witness of seeing that you were the one that bounded her.” Lexa knew that this was not concrete enough proof, considering a person’s words and allegiances could be broken. But she herself knew deep down that Clarke would not have attempted to leave York –attempted to leave her.

 

“What if we were to form a boarder, Heda?” Ontari, one of the warriors asked.

 

“The bridge serves as a boarder within itself.” Indra frowned. “What clearer way is there of saying ‘Your kind is unwelcome’ than the Yellow Rain bridge hovering over a bottomless trench?”

 

Ontari hummed. “What about Pauna?”

 

“What about Pauna?” Anya asked.

 

“She can take out just about half of the campers in a heartbeat. They have their fancy weapons, why don’t we use Pauna to even the field?”

 

They all looked contemplative for a while.

 

       “That’s actually not a bad idea. Heda?” Indra turned to the Commander. “We may end up with a few warriors less, but nature favors us. The canopies surrounding Skaikru will help keep us masked and protected.”

 

The Trikru leader acknowledge them all with one look but otherwise remained wordless, deep in thought.

 

She wondered about Clarke and what she would do if she ever found herself in a situation like this. Slowly the Commander’s frown fell deeper, because thinking of the girl reminded her of yesterday and how that imbecile had harmed her. Honestly, Lexa hadn’t expected to react in the way she did when she saw the bleeding gash on the side of Clarke’s head.

She knew that she was protective of the girl but, she had never wanted to kill anyone more than that boy that left Clarke unconscious; who by the way was _still_ unconscious. Lexa had had the girl carried to the Commander’s cabin and demanded that York’s best healer remain at Clarke’s bedside. And for the sake of the sky girl’s safety she had the Cabin heavily guarded.

 

She really wish the girl were awake. She’d seriously appreciate her input on all of this.

 

“Heda?” Indra called to their leader.

 

Lexa visibly broke from her haze and rose yet again from her seat. “Prepare all warriors for a trek towards the Sky camp at dawn. Announce that there is to be an assembly at the head of the throne before the night is out.” Just before crossing the exit of the war room, the Commander paused and looked at each of them with a cool shimmer in her eyes. “Also. For any of you that even entertain the idea of killing Clarke, I suggest you rid yourself of it. That is a dangerous notion that will only lead you down an unpleasant path. Any offence against her, is an offence against me. It is in all of your best interests to speak wisely from here on out.”

 

The Commander strode out of the room with purposeful steps.

 

She had an idea in mind but was completely uncertain of how it would turn out.

 

 

∞

 

 

        She pulled her cold feet underneath the bed covers and went to lay on her stomach but scrunched her face up in discomfort at the intense pain wracking though her skull. Clarke groaned as she tried to sit upright, but a hand was quick to reach out and push her to lay back down.

 

“It is best that you remain lying flat.”

 

A woman with dark hair and even darker eyes was hovering over Clarke as she pressed the back of her palm to the blonde’s forehead. “You are not running a fever but you are shaking like a leaf.” The woman hummed as Clarke’s eyebrows furrowed. “You must just be cold.”

 

The Sky girl ignored the woman’s statement and merely watched through squinted eyes as she reached for a bowl from the bedside stand.

 

“Who are you?” Clarke questioned the woman in a raspy tone as the stranger took a seat on the bed.

 

The grounder stared at Clarke momentarily, tracing each of Clarke’s features with her eyes before she replied. “You are really beautiful for a Skailing, you know.” The woman looked away to reach for a small clean towel that was at the foot of the bed. “I can see why she chose you.” She dipped the towel in the bowl that Clarke realized had water inside of it. “I am Echo. I was personally assigned to monitor you.” The girl smiled at Clarke. “Health purposes and all that. Heda will be very pleased to know that you are awake. You must be really hardheaded to survive a strike like the one you took.” 

 

Clarke looked completely bewildered, but the grounder –Echo didn’t seem to notice; too occupied with her current task.     

 

“I have to clean up your wound and apply some fresh salve to it. Could you turn your head please?” The woman asked softly.

 

Clarke heard Echo but she didn’t really _hear_ Echo. Out of nowhere Clarke sprung up, her breath caught in her throat and her eyes diverted as she stared at nothing in particular. She could feel her heartbeat accelerating in her chest and her skin started to feel a little too clammy for comfort, which was incredibly odd considering how cold she felt just a moment ago. Clarke brought her trembling hands in her line of view because she couldn’t really _feel_ them the way she knew she should. They grew numb as though she were holding a block of ice for far too long. Her vision was becoming distorted and she felt her body teetering to one side.

 

“Woah, hey!” Echo hastily put the bowl aside and caught the girl as quick as she could. She pulled Clarke against her and looked around frantically as if she’d find the answers for what was happening in one of the four walls surrounding them. Echo started yelling something in Trigedasleng but at this point, Clarke’s entire body was trembling and she was senselessly murmuring one thing.

 

_Hekilledher-Hekilledher-Hekilledher._

The five minutes it took for the Commander to reach the cabin and come barging into the room felt much longer to Echo. The woman readily turned Clarke over to the Alpha who immediately hugged Clarke tightly and began rubbing her palms up and down the girl’s arms.

 

_Hekilledher-Hekilledher-Hekilledher._

 

“Clarke…?” Lexa softly whispered to the girl. “Hodnes, can you hear me?”

 

Echo stood to the side uncertain of what to do with herself. She felt like she were intruding on something that she was not supposed to see. Even still she could not help but notice the way that the Commander held the sky girl with such care, almost as if Clarke would shatter into a million shards if held the wrong way. It was so rare to see her Heda treat someone so gently. In fact, she hadn’t thought she'd ever seen the Trikru leader behave in this way.

 

Lexa slowly rocked back and forth while Clarke slumped limply against her chest, still murmuring nonsensically. The brunette brushed Clarke’s hair away from her face before looking up a little worriedly. “Echo, tell the handmaidens to draw a bath now, please.”

 

“Of course, Heda.” The woman quickly left the room.

 

“Clarke, I need you to hear me, okay?”

 

_Hekilledher-Hekilledher._

Lexa looked even more concerned now. “I’m here for you, okay?” She pressed her lips to Clarke’s forehead. “I’m here for you.”

 

Just then, Echo poked her head back into the room. “The tub has been filled, Heda.”

 

“Thank you, Echo.” Lexa tried to carefully stand up from the bed, but the moment she made any movement that resulted in her detangling herself from Clarke, the blonde’s murmuring got louder. Lexa quickly tried to calm the girl. “Hey, it’s alright, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” The Commander held her firmly. “We’re just going to the bath chambers, okay?”

 

You would’ve had to look good enough to spot it, but in the midst of Clarke’s incessant quivering one could make out her head jerkily nodding in confirmation.

 

“Okay.” The Commander reached one of her arms around Clarke’s back and the other at the back of the girl’s thighs so Clarke’s legs could dangle over her forearm. She easily hoisted her up and together they crossed a few rooms. Once they reached the bath chambers Lexa was not surprised that Clarke did not easily let go of her hold on her. The sky girl’s murmuring had grown nearly inaudible but she was still trembling.

 

“Hodnes…” Lexa tried but the blonde’s arms were still tightly secured around her neck. “Alright then,” the Commander sighed.

 

At the corner of the room there was a broad stool that had a straw basket filled with fresh towels inside of it. Lexa removed the basket and sat down on the stool where Clarke easily found purchase in her lap. “You’re alright,” the brunette assured her while skillfully slipping Clarke’s shorts down her legs. She then lightly patted the blonde’s forearm and for the briefest moment, Clarke unloosed her hold on Lexa for the brunette to take off both of their tops. Unfortunately, the Commander was unable to lose her trousers as well because Clarke apparently could not handle the break in physical contact any longer.

 

With the girl still clinging onto her, Lexa got up, kicked off her boots and headed for the large marble tub. She carefully stepped up and placed foot before foot into the large basin of warm water. The brunette lowered them both into the water and as she did so, she felt Clarke bury her face into the crook of her neck. The girl’s breaths were still coming out in irregularly exhaled puffs of air against Lexa’s collarbone.

 

The Commander’s pants were completely soaked by the time she sat fully immersed in the tub. While only Clarke’s bra and underwear would have to dry out. Lexa scooped up a palm of water and poured it over Clarke’s shoulder. “That feel better?”

 

“Mmhm.” Clarke hummed as her eyes slowly closed shut.

 

They lay in the tub for a long while, just until the water was nearing room temperature. Within that time, Clarke’s breathing returned back to normal and her sporadic trembling had stopped. Lexa was still scooping and pouring water on her though and Clarke felt like it was one of the most comforting things in the world.

 

“Lex?”

 

The Commander paused at the sound of Clarke’s tired voice.

 

"Yes, Clarke?"

 

Moments passed before Clarke was able to voice what was on her mind. “He killed her. Didn’t he?”

 

Lexa allowed her free hand to fall below the surface of the water and she looped it around the blonde’s hidden waist. “Yes.”

 

Hot tears gathered in the corner of Clarke’s eyes. She sniffled and burrowed further into Lexa’s hold. “How old was she?”

 

“Nine.”

 

“Dear, God.” Clarke hiccupped and her chest racked slightly. “He said he d-did it for me. But- But I don't see the logic in that. Where  _is_ the logic in that?” Clarke rubbed furiously at one eye as she allowed every tear to flow, unguarded. “He said he did it for me and so now an innocent little girl is dead because of that. She’s dead because of me and I don’t know how to handle that, Lex.”

 

“Clarke no,” Lexa quickly sat up and adjusted the blonde girl in her lap so that they could maintain clear eye contact. “Don’t you be ridiculous by blaming yourself for the actions of another person who was well beyond capable of making decisions on their own. You had nothing to do with the death of that little one. He had a choice and he made it by pulling that knife clear across her neck. And he has paid the price for what he has done.”

 

A heavy weight settled in the pit of her stomach.  “Finn's dead,” the blonde whispered as if it had just dawned on her. 

 

“He is,” Lexa confirmed.

 

Clarke swallowed. “And Wells?”

 

“He was ready to put a bullet through my skull, Clarke.”

 

The sky girl released a plentiful and shuddering breath. The usual whites of her eyes were stained red and her face was completely flushed. Her hair was wet and she was just seriously craving a long rest. She craved anyway that she could possibly escape this horrid reality of hers, even if only for a moment. 

 

“Well what happens now? I’m sure Trikru is completely against the idea of me and any of my people at this point.” She unwillingly thought back to the scenario with the young boys from yesterday afternoon.

 

Lexa sighed. “That discussion can wait ‘til the morning. I just need to know one thing.”

 

Clarke pouted while looking up at Lexa. “What is it?”

 

“Will you stand by me in all of this? Come hell or high water?”

 

Clarke fiddled with her own fingers that were still laced around the Commander’s neck. She raised her head from where it lay and looked Lexa directly in the eyes.

 

“Well?” The brunette prodded.

 

Adjusting herself in Lexa’s lap, Clarke pressed her forehead to the brunette’s and inched her mouth closer to Lexa’s. They shared one of those kinds of kisses that left the pillow of your lips still stuck to one another, even as you pulled away. Clarke finally answered Lexa by parroting the Commander’s earlier words, “I’m not going anywhere.”

 

 

∞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Devil wears prada anyone?


	15. Insomniacs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking off right from the end of the previous chapter.  
> [Edited]

∞

 

 

        Despite the seemingly larger problem at hand, for the moment, both Lexa and Clarke were caught up in a world of their own.

 

        After the Alpha had effectively calm the sky girl from her alarming breakdown, Clarke had a proper bath. In the midst of things, Lexa was quick to notice that Clarke fell into a haze of sorts. The sky girl had an empty look in her eyes while staring every now and again at nothing in particular, nothing interesting. Then there was this blank expression on her face and this saddening aura about her that the Commander was positive she herself did not like. During that time they had not once spoken to one another; not with words, anyway.

 

        Clarke was brought clean clothes to sleep in by one of her handmaidens and after she had gotten dressed, they both found that words were completely unnecessary. Her feet that remained rooted just near the base of the tub, along with her pleading eyes alone told Lexa that she would much rather be carried back to the room than walk. When the Commander had tried to place her on top of the ruffled bedding, her hands that refused to loosen their hold around the brunette’s neck clearly stated, “Stay. Lay down with me.” And when Lexa had tried to pull the furs over them only to have Clarke push them away, she didn’t have to be told twice to cast her arms around the blonde and tug her close instead. Without a doubt, Lexa knew that the way Clarke nuzzled deeply into her hold for warmth was just the same as any verbal ‘thank you’.

 

 

        It had taken a long while, but sometime after Clarke’s eyes finally fluttered shut and her breathing finally evened out, Lexa carefully slipped from beneath Clarke’s sleeping frame. Unconsciously, the blonde scrunched her face in displeasure at the loss of warmth, but the Commander was quick to grab the pillow she had been laying her back against. She fluffed and adjusted it as best as she could, cautiously slid it under the sky girl’s head and slowly backed away from the side of the bed. She sighed in relief when Clarke was quick to wrap her arms around it and burrow further into the soft material that substituted for Lexa’s woolen top.

 

        Any little background noise coming from either within or without the cabin diminished while the Commander just silently watched her.

 

        Clarke’s hair was a mess; a tangle of blonde strands scattered all over the pillows and Lexa frowned because even in her sleep, she still managed to look so troubled. Sure enough, the incidents of today as well as the day before had put Clarke at her boiling point, but the Alpha was still very uncertain as to how Clarke could’ve possibly felt that the Skaikru attack was her fault.

 

        Lexa sighed for the nth time that night before she began to slip her boots back on. The minute she was properly dressed as the stoic leader everyone knew her to be, she grabbed her sword from the side table and slotted it into the sheath at her hip. One last look at Clarke brought her to hike the covers up to the blonde’s shoulders, press a kiss to her cheek and silently flee the room.

 

        “Ah!” Echo gasped, slightly startled. “Heda,” she held one hand to her chest while exhaling deeply. She nearly bumped into the Commander as she was making her way into the hall. “I was just about to ah-uhm…” the woman cleared her throat. “Is your mate settled in alright? I needed to change her salve, but if she sleeps…it can wait.”

 

        A minute sized smile appeared on the Alpha’s face.

 

        Of course she had heard Daisy refer to Clarke as her mate before, but suddenly the meaning behind that title held a little more weight than it had before. “Thank you, Echo, but that won’t be necessary. For the time being, Clarke rests.” The Commander stated. “Once she wakes, then you may aid her as needed. And I’m sure you know to send word to me when that time comes?”

 

        Echo looked confused, “Won’t you be resting tonight, Heda?”

 

        “I could not possibly sleep when the wicked are wide awake. Justice has yet to be served.”

 

        “But you have not slept since-“

 

        “Echo.”

 

        The grounder shortly bowed her head, “My apologies, Heda.”

 

        “Right.” The Commander stepped to move past her, “Remember no one is to bother Clarke. And please, do have one of the handmaidens replace the candles in the bedchambers. The last of the wax is quickly burning out.”

 

 

∞

 

 

        Lexa was passing through the line of proficient guards she had assigned along the Commander’s cabin when Indra sidled up beside her.

 

Simultaneously, they broke off into a brisk walk along the cobblestone.

 

        “There are fifty of the uninjured warriors ready to depart for the Sky camp at daylight. Likewise, I went over various strategies and there are now four guards sharing a shift at every point of the wind rose of the village. Also, Trikru know of the assembly that is to be held tonight. All as you requested, Heda.”

 

        “Good.” The brunette kept her quick pace and said nothing more.

 

        They were making a sharp turn towards the infirmary as Indra masked the concern she held for her superior. She knew that enough people had already tested the Alpha’s patience for the day –and the brunette seemed twice as tense since she left the cabin, so Indra didn’t voice her concerns. Instead she asked, “Will that be all, Heda?”

 

        They finally stopped once they stood in front of York’s medical bay. Lexa turned to Indra, “Yes. That will be all. And as you are my right-hand whenever I take residency here, I will see you on the platform at the commencement of the assembly.”

 

        The dark woman dipped her head in agreement then took her leave.

 

 

        Once on the inside of the infirmary, Lexa spent the surplus of her time interacting with the ill and injured. She had a few lighthearted (yet meaningful) conversations with some of the adults and elders, but the brunette strongly preferred telling ancient tales to the young ones. Most of the injured children were asleep, but the few that couldn’t rest took great solace in her storytelling.

 

Lexa was recalling the legendary fall of the mountain when a soft-spoken voice interrupted her. “Heda?”

 

The Alpha’s eyes turned to a little girl with a bright yellow bandage taped across her arm. Her hair was a heap of fuzzy, dark curls and she had the biggest eyes that shone with pure innocence. “Yes, Bonnie?”

 

The little girl asked, “Why does everyone hate us?”

 

The Commander looked unsure. “What do you mean?”

 

“Every story you told had someone in it that was out-‘ta get us. Why?”

 

“Well,” Lexa’s brows furrowed. “I’m not sure I have the answer to that, little one.”

 

“It just makes me sad because –because people always hurt us.” The little girl paused to pick at the pilling on the surface of her cot. “I never knew my Nontu. My brother tells me it coz’ he died during a fight against the Ice Queen. Plus, a lot of my friends’ family died in the mountain. And now _I’m_ stuck with this–” the child made a discomforted expression while scratching her arm, “–stupid _itchy_ cut because the sky people don’t like us either.”

 

Despite the child’s angelic face, the little girl looked extremely bothered; Lexa seriously had no clue of what she should say. However, the young one’s hopeless demeanor pushed her to at least try for a reasonable reply. “Look, B. It may not be of much consolation but –”

 

“C-counsel-what?” The child’s head was tilted to one side in confusion and the Commander sighed.

 

She tried again in their own language. “ _It might not be much help. It might not be what you want to hear but, we’ve attacked them and killed their own people too.”_

_“But Heda, we only attacked them because they attacked us first.”_ The girl frowned. _“None of them even know us. We never did them wrong. I just think they don’t like us because we are different than they are.”_ She began sniffling but as soon as she saw her vision becoming blurred, the child rubbed harshly at her eyes. Then, her voice came out softer than before, _“She was my friend, Heda.”_

Lexa stared at the youngling for a second before she realized just who the little one was referring too. Reaching over, Lexa took the girl’s much smaller hands into her own. _“I cannot promise you that anyone else that you hold dear will not die. But I can say, that as long as I am in command, I will go to whatever lengths I possibly can to do what is best for you. Because you are my own, and my people come first. Okay?”_

The young one nodded weakly in reply but managed a small smile as a way to say that she would trust in her Heda.

 

“Okay.” The Commander softly squeezed her hands before letting go. “That is all the stories for tonight, little ones.”

 

Every other child that was curled up on the broad cot whined when Lexa moved to get up.

 

“Heda, can’t we please have one more story?” One of them pressed.

 

“No you may not.” She blew out a few of the candles in the room to dim the place some. “Wild things must rest. Reshop, young ones.”

 

A high pitched chorus of “Reshop, Heda” followed shortly after.  


 

∞

 

 

                On her way out of the infirmary the Commander stopped short in her tracks when she saw that Nyko was sat at a healer’s bench with his shirt discarded beside him. She strode up to the bench and did a fine job of schooling her irritation before addressing the man.

 

“Explain.”

 

Nyko looked up warily before telling his superior all that he could possibly recount. He knew the Commander well enough to tell that she was on edge, which was why he kept his explanation precise and to the point.

 

After he’d disclosed all that he remembered, Lexa eyed him doubtfully. “You mean to tell me that Clarke’s unskilled friend knocked you so far into the ground that you were left unconscious for hours so that she could, what? Escape?” The brunette looked unimpressed. “That makes no sense. We were letting her go back to their camp, there was no need for her to escape. Not only that, but I would believe that a horse can fly before I believe that she bested you.” The Alpha stated firmly, “You are one of the greatest warriors I know which is why I had you stand by Clarke.” Her jaw shifted in the way it always did when she had a hard time keeping a lid on her frustration. “You _know_ this, so please do come again with a better story than that.”

 

The man could not for the life of him find a reply that would not anger the Commander further. So he kept quiet.

 

“Tell me, how am I to trust you with her if you cannot even manage to keep watch of her friend?”

 

Still, he said nothing.

 

At this point, Lexa was piercing the grounder with her intense gaze. Her jaw shifted once more, “There is to be an assembly in a matter of minutes.” She said, “I expect you to be there.”

 

The Alpha hadn’t said it directly, but Nyko was certain that there was a hidden threat in her words _if_ he was not present at the village gathering. The healer who was tending to Nyko before the Trikru leader approached him finally returned to the bench, and as the healer rubbed some concoction into his forearm, Nyko bit his tongue through the intense pain he endured. It burnt like numerous fire ants were nibbling at his skin.

 

But even as he went a shade redder in the face, Nyko submitted to her and assured the Trikru leader that he would be the first one there.

 

 

∞

 

 

.: _Meanwhile:._

 

        The concrete beneath her was cold and wet and entirely uncomfortable. Her hands were tied behind her back and there was a dull ache in the both of her kneecaps.

 

Octavia felt sluggish to the bone.

 

It was dark where she was and she wasn’t certain if that was because night had fallen, or if she was being held in a place that the sun couldn’t reach. It was hard for her to see clearly but she had managed to make out a pair of long legs standing just before her.

 

“Ah, you’re awake,” an unfamiliar, feminine voice sounded above her.

 

Octavia’s eyes were squinted tightly as she tilted her head back in an effort to see who the voice belonged to.

 

Sure enough, it was a woman. But Octavia was still unable to make out any of the grounder’s distinct features because the woman had a stained rag draped across the lower half of her face. The rag extended further to wrap around the grounder’s neck and then over her head, securely covering every strand of hair that may or may not be on the woman’s scalp. Wicked hazel eyes were the only thing exposed from the neck on up.

 

“I must say, you put up quite the fight for a scrawny little thing.” The grounder drawled before stepping away briefly, only to come back into a crouch near Octavia’s feet. She held a chipped cup in both hands. “You thirsty?”

 

Octavia’s brows furrowed and she tried to move her tongue to form words but there was a knotted cloth jammed between her teeth. Before she knew what was happening a splash of acrid liquid was thrown into her face. She cringe at the smell of it and groaned loudly behind her gag. She pushed her heels into the floor in an effort to back herself into the stone wall behind her, desperately trying to put some distance between herself and the strange woman.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” The grounder placed an open palm flat against her own chest and a nasty chuckle came from behind her make-do niqab. Immediately afterwards, she threw the chipped cup at the furthest stone wall causing it to shatter into many glittering, white shards. “You looked thirsty,” she said none too sincerely.

 

Octavia eyed her angrily and breathed out hard behind her gag.

 

“It would have been rude of me to not offer my guest anything, now would it?” The woman clucked her tongue and the sky girl was certain her captor was smiling brightly behind those rags. “Whatever,” The grounder sighed and suddenly stood back up. “We have a lot more pressing things to talk about.”

 

The woman who Octavia quickly chalked up to be a raging lunatic left her in the dark corner and stalked a short distance away.

 

This gave the brunette some time to better study her surroundings and right away she knew that they weren’t in any sort of cabin. Based on the mossy trails that ran up and down the walls around her, she figured that they were in some part of the woods, maybe near a river. The ground was uneven and there were no openings, no doors –save for one that Octavia spotted overhead; just above the crazy lady who she noticed was rummaging through a straw sack. And that was how she came to the conclusion that they must be underground.

 

How did she even get here to begin with?

 

One moment she recalled Clarke’s personal guard showing her a few helpful battle moves. And the next thing she knew, she was waking up in some humid cave with a stranger who didn’t seem to ‘have all of their marbles’. How does that happen?

 

“Now!” The grounder startled Octavia when she spun on her heels after she apparently found what she was looking for.

 

“Here’s how this is going to play out…” The woman slowly crossed the few inches between them and resumed her crouching position next to Octavia. “I give you questions. You give me answers. Simple. If I _don’t_ get answers…” the grounder reached out with one of her poorly manicured hands and brushed her rough fingers against Octavia’s cheek, “ _you_ don’t get the privilege of keeping this soft and unblistered infant skin of yours.” Again, Octavia just knew the grounder was smiling widely.

 

“Got it?” The woman asked but Octavia could only stare at her warily. “Good!” She exclaimed before placing a veil of bright orange liquid on the floor in front of her. Afterward, she pulled a pointed dagger from her person and with insane skill and precision, the woman drew a long slit along the thigh of Octavia’s pants.

 

The sky girl’s eyes widened in horror but she was even more baffled by her unmarred skin. The woman hadn’t cut her, just the material of her pants.

 

The grounder snorted at Octavia’s reaction. “Wow, tell me is every one from your kind _this_ dramatic?” She snickered while tearing the rest of Octavia’s pant leg with her hands alone. Once she seemed pleased with the amount of the girl’s flesh on display, she picked up the veil using her hand that did not hold the dagger. “First question. Who leads you?”

 

Octavia gave her an unimpressed look, then lowered her eyes to the gag still lodged into her mouth.

 

“Oh!” The woman put the veil back down and roughly yanked the cloth from the brunette’s mouth. “Silly me. Now talk.”

 

Seconds passed and the sky girl merely looked at her anticipating captor.

 

“Bite me.” Octavia gritted out.

 

The grounder giggled, “Oh believe me I would.” She rubbed her hand against the sky girl’s thigh. “You don’t have a lot of meat on your bones, but I’d make due.” Octavia thrashed against the grounder’s touch which only caused the woman to snicker even harder. Though, in the blink of an eye she deadpanned. “I’ll give you one more chance to answer the question.”

 

“I have no answers you _freak_.” Octavia collected a serving of saliva at the back of her throat and forcefully spat in the grounder’s face; successfully targeting the woman’s eyes.

 

The woman hadn’t blinked. She remained still for the longest moment until she swiftly dragged the dagger down Octavia’s thigh.

 

 _“Fuck!”_ Octavia wailed in pain, her hollering echoed off of the stone walls of the cave. “You crazy bitch!”

 

“Who leads you and how did you get to the ground?”

 

“I have no leader!” Octavia groaned through her pain. But of course, her answer was not sufficient for the grounder. She watched as the woman took the veil and tipped it so that a single drop of the amber fluid landed into the slit of the deeply cut wound. “ _Ho-o-olyy shii–”_ The sky girl bit the inside of her cheek harshly and desperately fought the urge to break down in tears.

 

The open wound sizzled and Octavia’s once red blood started to bubble into an ill-looking yellow. She felt like someone took a pitcher of kerosene, poured it all over her leg and threw a lit match on top of it all. “What the fuck is in that thing?!” She shouted while looking at the still very much full veil. If only a single drop of that stuff had her feeling this way, she wouldn’t want to know what’d it’d be like to have the entire bottle poured on her.

 

“The urine of a _nertsi_ can make the strongest of men cry like a newborn fresh from its mother’s womb.” The woman held the bottle up as if it were one of earth’s greatest wonders. “Would you like me to do it again?”

 

Octavia swallowed. “I told you, I have no answers for you.”

 

The woman hummed, unpleased. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.” She said, about to pour some more of the liquid.

 

“John Murphy!” The sky girl quickly held her hands out, “John Murphy leads the Skaikru.” Her eyes were squeezed shut as she said it.

 

This gave the grounder pause and Octavia was too relieved when she reopened her eyes.

 

“John Murphy…?” The grounder repeated the name.

 

“Yes.”

 

Octavia had no clue why she chose Murphy, but she refused to snitch on Clarke; not to mention, she could give a rat’s ass about Murphy.

“And what of your arrival to the ground?”

 

The brunette sighed. “We had no way of surviving any longer in space, so we took a chance by coming to Earth.”

 

“There must be more of you. What of the rest of your people? Are you all the only ones?”

 

“Yes.” Octavia lied. “There was only one craft that could hold a maximum of one hundred of us. The rest of my people died from oxygen deprivation.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Octavia could tell that the woman was smiling again. _Twisted motherfucker._

 

“How is your affiliation with the Trikru?” The grounder continued.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“When I… _found_ you, you were with a Trikru warrior. Also, I’ve noticed that the dog is apparently taken with the yellow haired girl. I assume Trikru and your people are allies?”

 

Octavia thought long and hard about how she should reply. And after thinking it over, she settled for something vague yet informative enough to sate her captor. “There has been nothing more than an argument over territory.”

 

A period of silence passed between them before the woman resituated her dagger under the fold of her garb. “You see, that wasn’t so difficult now was it?” The woman reached for Octavia’s chin, “you’ve done me quite the favor just now.”

 

The Sky girl yanked her chin from the grip of the grounder’s grime filled fingernails, but it didn’t matter because the woman sprung up and went over to retrieve her straw sack. “The Otarks will be very pleased with this information,” the grounder proclaimed happily. “But there’s just one last thing.”

 

“What?” Octavia peered at the woman standing above her and before she knew it, a glob of something warm landed on the crown of her head. Immediately, a foul odor clouded her senses and the glob slid down from her forehead, to the bridge of her nose and past her lips.

 

“ _That_ is for spitting in my face,” the grounder stated while screwing a cracked cover back onto a glass jar. “Horse manure looks good on you,” she snickered before walking away from the bounded Sky girl.

 

Octavia was too shocked to move, too shocked to say anything.

 

She just had horse shit dumped on her head and not too long ago had newt piss, or whatever, poured on her leg; which still burnt like a bitch. The Sky girl could only watch as the grounder climbed her way up the opposing cave wall and crawl through the opening overhead.  

 

 

∞

 

 

        The sun was just rising as a new day presented itself.

 

        At the stables, the Commander was in the middle of feeding sweet apple slices to her horse, Kaioshi. Her eyelids were a bit heavy and she would have to hide her yawning every now and then, but Lexa always preferred to personally ready him for long trots. And given the horse’s satisfied neighing, Kaioshi clearly had no complaints. She was about to put on her horse’s saddle when she got word that a certain Sky girl was wide awake and demanding her presence.

 

        When she got to the Commander’s cabin, she opened the door to the bedchambers and found Echo standing beside the bed that contained a miserable looking Clarke.

 

        “I’m sorry, Clarke, but you must eat something. Heda would be very displeased if you do not –”

 

        “Clarke?”

 

        Both women turned their attention to the opening of the door.

 

        “ _Lexa_.” The blonde sat up further and looked a little less miserable when the Trikru leader entered the room.

 

        The Alpha quickly made her way to the bed, effectively stopping Clarke from getting up. “What is the matter?” She asked while taking a seat atop the covers. Clarke readily leaned into the brunette who automatically held her close.

 

        “I’m not hungry.” Clarke frowned while eyeing the breakfast tray in Echo’s hands.

 

        The Commander looked at Echo for a moment and then down at the blonde who was practically molded to her side. “But you need the nutrients, Clarke.”

 

        The Sky girl only shook her head.

 

        “Steamed salmon is one of your favorites, is it not?” Lexa tried.

 

        Clarke shrugged.

 

        Lexa sighed.

 

        “Please, Clarke, I’ll be leaving the village soon and it would seriously make me feel a lot better if–”

 

        “Wait. Leave the village? For what?” At that, the Sky girl sat up properly, out of the Alpha’s hold. Her brows knitted, “The Capitol?”

 

        “No.”

 

Lexa got up and murmured a few words to Echo. She then took the tray from the woman and soon after, the healer left the room.

 

Once the grounder closed the door behind her, the Commander focused all of her attention on the blonde in the bed. “We talk _after_ you eat.”

 

Clarke frowned heavily but still took the outstretched fork that was being handed to her.

 

 

Some time had passed before the Sky girl took a napkin from the tray and wiped at her mouth. “There, I ate. Now let’s talk.”

 

On the bedside table was the breakfast tray. The Alpha looked at the plate that looked nearly untouched before sitting back down next to Clarke. “I am certain that four little bites does not constitute as a meal, Clarke.” Lexa used her thumb to wipe away a piece of tissue at the corner of Clarke’s mouth. “Why must you be so stubborn?” she asked softly.

 

Clarke turned her face into the palm of Lexa’s hand for a kiss. “I’ll be fine,” she tried to assure the brunette. “I _am_ fine.”

 

“No, you’ll be sick.”

 

“You’re deflecting. Why are you leaving the village?”

 

Lexa’s hand fell back to her lap. “I have scheduled a trek to your people’s campsite.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yes, Clarke. I have to make sure that an incident like the day before does not happen again.”

 

“Right.”

 

Silence filled the room for a moment.

 

“You have nothing else to say?”

 

Clarke’s eyes flickered to Lexa’s and the blonde’s lips twitched. She wanted to say something more but was feeling extremely out of sorts. She was uncertain of what she _should_ say. This wasn’t exactly an everyday thing for her, to be caught in the kind of predicament that she was now in. But there was one thing that Clarke was very curious about. “How is it that your people aren’t tearing away at these walls to slit my throat for what happened the other day?”

 

The Commander shifted in the bed, “I called for an assembly the night before. The Trikru of York now formally know that any offense against you, is an offense against me and it will readily be answered by their death.”

 

Clarke gaped. “Can you even do that?”

 

“Haven’t I already?”

 

“I imagine their response was anything but good. Can’t someone overthrow you if they disagree?”

 

“I am Alpha, Clarke. No one can overthrow me, but it would be amusing to see one try.”

 

“Cocky.”

 

“No, truthful.”

 

“If that’s how you see it.” Clarke moved to get up from the beneath the furs.

 

Lexa looked confused. “What are you doing?” She watched as Clarke shed her sleepwear.

 

“Changing.” The Sky girl readjusted the opal necklace around her neck after removing her top. She brushed her hair behind her shoulder and told the Alpha, “I’m going with you.”

 

“You most definitely are not.”

 

 

∞

 

 

        Not an hour later, Clarke was perched atop Kaioshi, ready to head for the dropship.

 

        Indra was just a ways beside her, sitting above her own horse while sending Clarke the most hatred filled glare she could muster.

 

        It didn’t faze her though. And not a moment later, the Commander approached and easily hiked herself up onto the animal, fitting snugly just behind Clarke.

 

The Sky girl allowed her head to rest back into Lexa’s armored chest as the Alpha took the horse’s reins then yelled something in trigedasleng and the small army of warriors fell into a synchronized march towards the Yellow Rain Bridge.

 

 

∞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where’s Bellamy?


	16. Abandon or No?

Would it make sense to carry on with this fic? Comment below if you'd read the continuation. If i get an appropriate amount of 'yes' votes, i'll risk the headache of finishing this thing. 

 

And to Mary Mad: <3<3<3 


	17. Boundaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So its been a while...

 

∞

 

 

        The quick and rhythmic stomping of horse shoes reverberated all throughout the demolished land.

 

        Skaikru fires left most of the plantation beyond the bridge as a layout of blackened soil and ashes from incinerated leaves. They all were moving so quickly that it was a bit hard to make out, the black remains of tree stalks all blurring into one.

 

        They were soon a mile away from the edge of York, which meant that the Sky camp was not much further away.

 

        Seeing that a great portion of the woods on Trikru’s end were ruined, only then were twenty-five of the handpicked warriors able to take for the unmarred portion of the forest. The other twenty-five remained on foot.

 

Pulling her horse’s reins, the Commander yelled to those behind her. “All of you, slow! We will be nearing soon.”

 

At a small distance behind her, Indra and the rest fell into pace with the Heda’s stallion. Except for the clacking of hooves, silence fell upon the group.

 

“How are you feeling?” Lexa whispered low into Clarke’s ear.

 

        The blonde shifted slightly in front of the Commander and exhaled deeply before replying. “Nervous,” she bit her lip and placed a hand on her stomach. Her voice came out smaller then, “And I may be a little…hungry.”

 

        Lexa deadpanned behind her. “Hungry?”

 

        “Just a little.”

 

        The brunette shook her head and softly sighed, “I told you it would be best to finish your breakfast.” The Alpha reached for a satchel that was attached to Kaioshi’s saddle. She pulled from it a bottle of water along with a small pouch. “Here.” She handed it to Clarke. “Some dried fruit and water to keep you hydrated.”

 

        The sky girl was slow to take the offered items, but nonetheless smiled in appreciation. “Thank you.”

       

        “You’re welcome.” Lexa told her, “I knew you would be hungry. Although, it is mostly chunks of peaches and pineapple. I also packed some cashews if you’d like some.”

 

Clarke fingered through the pouch of fruits and inwardly beamed at Lexa’s thoughtfulness. In the spurt of the moment, she turned around and pressed a firm kiss to the Commander’s lips. When she pulled away she saw that Lexa was quite taken off guard.

 

“What was that for?” The Alpha questioned a little wide-eyed.

 

The blonde shrugged, “you’re sweet.” Clarke grinned as Lexa fought the urge to blush.

 

A hushed chuckle came from behind which had Lexa quickly turning around where she sat atop her horse. The second she did, the chuckle turned into a dry bout of coughing.  Daringly, she squinted her eyes at the group of masked faces before turning back around and huffing.

 

That was their first public display of affection.

 

               

∞

 

 

 

Given the fact that they had the element of surprise, it was no challenge for Trikru to infiltrate the Sky camp’s make-shift fortress and relieve each of their armed opponents of their weapons.

 

While the Commander guided her horse to walk just near the opening of the dropship, Clarke could hear the shocked gasps and confused exclamations coming from her people. A heavy weight settled at the pit of her stomach, but she pushed past it and readily took the Commander’s hand for the brunette to help her come down from the horse.

 

“Clarke?” A voice called out to her. It was Monty caught in a kneeled position on the ground. Fear was evident in the boy’s wildly roaming eyes and rapid breathing. “Clarke, what’s going on?” He panicked. “I thought you were dead.”

 

She wanted to console her friend, she really did, but there were greater matters at hand here.

 

She tried her hardest to show how apologetic she was through the last look she gave Monty.

 

 

“Wait, _you’re_ Clarke?” Next to Monty a heart-faced brunette stood with her hands held high, eyeing Clarke quizzically.

 

The blonde looked puzzled, “Who are you?”

 

        “Reyes.” Raven replied as her brows scrunched together. “Wait, you’re here so where’s Finn? Where’s my boyfriend?”

 

         “Boyfriend?”  Clarke gaped, “Finn was your boyfriend?”

 

        Raven noticed Clarke’s use of the past tense. She frowned, “Yes, my boyfriend. Where is he?”

 

Clarke struggled for an answer and the Commander was becoming agitated with the growing cluster of whispers surrounding them. “Enough!” She demanded and instantly every voice went mute. “I could have you all killed without thinking twice of it. So for your own sake, be silent and listen very carefully.” The Alpha stood tall as she walked away from the mouth of the exodus to sift her way through the various Sky people. With her hands clasped behind her back she started dutifully, “Recently, three of your people thought that it was okay to burn and trespass Trikru land only to draw blood behind the walls of our own home.” She informed them in a clipped tone, “It is because of _your_ kind that one of my own hadn’t even lived to see her tenth summer.”

 

“Excuse the fuck out of me, but who are you exactly?” Murphy rolled his eyes just as Lexa was about to pass him.

 

Not a second later had the sole of the Commander’s boot struck the boy square in the jaw, sending him plummeting backwards into the ground.

 

“Someone you do not want to have as an enemy.” The Alpha gritted out above him.

 

Murphy groaned, turned his head to one side and spat out a mouthful of blood. He boldly glared up at Lexa. “That’s funny because as far as I know you’re already an enemy. Throwing spears at people for sport?” He tsk-tsked. “What kind of sick fuckers are you, huh?”

 

Clarke interrupted. “That wasn’t them!”

 

Murphy looked at her. “Oh, yeah? And just how do you know that, Princess?”

 

The blonde pursed her lips before explaining, “The only time grounders have ever crossed any of us was when _we_ held their leader captive. They never harmed us before then. We threw the first blow.” Clarke felt a little guilty at her admission. It was her own idea to bring Lexa back to camp and maybe if she had just left the girl in the woods, they probably never would’ve been ambushed. Finn may have not been kidnapped and the boy would probably still be alive. She was finding it hard to see how this wasn’t her fault.

 

Murphy spat out some more blood and huffed unconvinced. “Yeah, no, you seem to be very comfortable with these assholes so I’d say that you’re a lying cock-sucker, Griffin.”

 

In a split second, the Alpha’s eyes flashed in anger and Murphy’s glass-rattling scream hadn’t soothed her the way she expected it would. Looking down at where she’d perfectly lodged her sword into the boy’s thigh, she pulled it very slowly from his bleeding flesh and wiped the length of metal across Murphy’s pant leg.

Just when he thought that he couldn’t possibly feel any worse, the Trikru leader left an ideal shoeprint at the crotch of his pants.

 

Above his pained groaning, Lexa raised an eyebrow in question. “What would you know of such an act when you don’t even have one, hm?” She sent the sharp tip of her sword trailing up the boy’s arm and just as it started pressing pointedly into Murphy’s left breast, the Alpha felt someone tugging at her arm.

 

“Lexa, no.” Clarke pleaded.

 

“He disrespected you, Clarke.”

 

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

 

The brunette growled. “But it could be the last.”

 

“Please, Lex.” The Sky girl reached out to touch the Alpha’s hand that tightly choked the hilt of her blade. “We didn’t come here for this.”

 

It took a lot out of the brunette to retract her weapon, but she did.

 

The Commander looked up, away from the foolish boy squirming at her feet and then declared loudly. “Clearly, the Trikru and the Skaikru are from two very different worlds.” Her voice carried all throughout the camp. “Before your arrival to the ground, Trikru roamed as we saw fit. But when you came, so did your guns and irrational animosity. You think that the ground is just an object that you can claim?” She asked.

 

From beside the brunette, Clarke could hear the passion fused into Lexa’s words as her volume rose.

 

“If you do, then you are _wrong._ Every rock and every running river, every tree and every creature that exists on this ground has life –has spirit; and Trikru know them each by name. You Sky people believe that the only people who are people are those that act and think like you.” Lexa paused in thought as she recalled little Bonnie from the medical bay the night before. Her expression became more grim, “None of you have walked a barefooted life on the ground. None of you know what it means to be Trikru.”

 

The Alpha’s brows furrowed as she replaced her sword within its sheath. “I understand that there may be more of you to come,” She looked at Clarke briefly before continuing, “and I do not want a war.”

 

“So where’s the solution in all of this?” Monty asked as he shifted on his knees.

 

Lexa eyed him for a long and unnerving moment.

 

“Leave this place,” she said calmly, which of course brought on another case of murmuring and exclamations from the Skaikru. Despite this, the Alpha pressed on. “The distance between you all and one of the Trikru clans is far too close for peace.” She said, “I advise you to move south and I expect you to be gone by tomorrow.”

 

“Are you serious?” Clarke suddenly voiced while turning to face Lexa.

 

The Commander ignored her and everyone else that seemed indifferent. “If any of you remain here and are not if fact gone by tomorrow, there will be nothing stopping me from removing your head from your shoulders. If you were unaware before, consider yourselves properly informed. After tomorrow, any skailing spotted within this region without my consent will die at my hand. Any _armed_ skailing spotted within close proximity to _any_ Trikru region without my consent will suffer a public Trikru execution. This is my pardon to you all.” The Alpha’s words, as usual, left no room for argument.

 

“We may leave now, Clarke.” She addressed the girl beside her before moving back towards Kaiyoshi.

 

“Wait a minute, what?” Monty looked to Clarke, “You’re leaving? _Again?_ ”

 

The blonde looked torn. “Umm, yeah I uh…I–”

 

“Clarke, you can’t be serious. What about _us_? We’re your friends.” No longer concerned about the threatening Trikru warrior behind him, Monty stood on shaky legs. “Why would you even be going back with them?” He pleaded for Clarke to make sense of the situation.

 

“Oh would you quit your whining already, Green.” Murphy groaned from the dirt, “Let her go. If she gave a rat’s ass about you, you wouldn’t have to be begging her to stick around.”

 

The blonde looked angrily at Murphy, “Would you shut it?!”

 

He smiled at her. Both rows of his teeth were coated red, but he didn’t seem to care. “Just telling it how it is, Princess.”

 

 

“Clarke,” Lexa called out to her, “We really must be leaving now.”

 

“Just one second,” The Sky girl told her before stepping closer to Monty.

 

“Do you really not care about us?” He looked apprehensive of her reply.

 

“Of course I care about you all, Monty. How could you even ask that?”

 

He shrugged.

 

“Look, I got myself in a situation that I…can’t quite get myself out of.” Frustrated with the entire situation, Clarke shook her head, not keen on saying more.

 

Misinterpreting her behavior, Monty looked from her and then towards the Trikru leader. He paled, “Clarke, is she forcing herself on you?” His eyes filled with something akin to disgust.

 

“ _What?_ ” The blonde looked taken aback.

 

His voice turned into a panicked whisper, “If she’s raping, Clarke, you we can _stop her_.” He pressed, “Come with us. She may not be h-human, but she’s not invincible, Clarke you have to–”

 

“No-no-no-no, wait, Monty. It’s nothing like that I promise.”

 

“Then what is it then? Tell me.”

 

When she saw that he wasn’t relenting, she figured it’d be pointless to keep their conversation going. “Alright, I have to go.” She pulled him into a quick hug (that was not reciprocated) then released him. “I’ll see you again soon, I promise. Just do as Lexa said and head south.” She tried to ignore all the faces of her people as they watched her mount the Commander’s black stallion. Lexa followed right afterwards, throwing her leg over the animal, fitting just behind Clarke.

 

As Kaiyoshi was passing by the boy, Clarke made sure to reassure him. “I do care, Monty.”

 

He hadn’t said anything back.

 

“Wait!” Raven piped up, jogging aside the horse. “You never told me–”

 

“He’s dead, stupid girl.” Indra drawled while remounting her horse without a sliver of sympathy for the mechanic.

 

Raven stopped dead in her tracks while Indra maneuvered her stallion to trot behind the Heda. The dark warrior thre over her shoulder, “Build a bridge and get over it, girl. We did you a favor.”

 

The mechanic still stood motionless.

 

“I’m sorry.” Clarke turned head to look back at Raven. They were becoming further and further away from the campsite, but she knew by the mechanic’s reddening nose that the girl was about break. By the time the horses picked up their stride, the dam had surely broken and Raven came running at their hinds.

 

“You’re lying!” Raven hollered into the wind, her desperation for the truth propelling her further. “Take me to him!” The mechanic yelled specifically at Clarke.

 

“Reyes, stop!” The blonde warned.

 

“Take me to him!” She gritted in anger now. She caught up close enough with the black stallion and without thought grabbed for the animal’s tail. It was a stupid move on her part, she knew this much, but only until after she’d done wrong had her anger subsided enough for her to see that. She just wanted them to stop.

 

“You fool!”

 

Kaiyoshi was startled by the tug at his hind. His hooves skidded in the dust and he halted abruptly. Raven suddenly collided into him from behind and the animal only knew to act on instinct. His back legs kicked outwards at the unseen threat behind him and all that followed was a blood-chilling cry.

 

Raven fell to the dust as Kaioshi paced in place before sprinting forward, away from the scene at an increasing pace.

 

Clarke was in distress looking back at the sky persons who ran from the camp to aid a seemingly unconscious Raven. All the while Lexa was trying to calm down her spooked horse.

 

The Alpha was holding steady onto his reins, “ _Bed’ gyon_ , Yoshi!” She exclaimed to her companion hoping he would slow, but the stallion still seemed tense. “Clarke, quick! Reach for his mane and gently stroke his neck.”

 

The blonde seemed apprehensive, torn between looking behind them and following Lexa’s instructions. When she could no longer see the gate of the sky camp, she turned forward in alarm. “What do I do again?” she asked frantically.

 

“Pet him at the neck!” Indra called from her own beast beside them.

 

“Okay, okay!” She reached for Kaioshi’s shiny black mane and softly stoked the animal’s thick neck. “You’re alright, boy…” She tried to assure the horse. “Come on, calm down.”

 

“He’s responding to your touch,” Lexa noticed as the tension within the horse’s reins decreased. “Keep at it.”

 

Clarke sighed softly when the stallion seemed to be slowing down somewhat. “There you go,” she whispered to him and by the time he fully calmed down, they were back at the incinerated part of the forest.  

 

 

∞

 

 

        Stressed, guilty and uncertain.

 

        If anyone had asked Clarke to describe how she felt during this point in time, those were the three words that she would utter.

 

The blonde was stressed for obvious reasons. During the remainder of the ride back to the village, Clarke was questioning whether or not she made the right decision; doubting whether or not she should have left the remainder of the hundred in the way that she did. _Should I have left at all?_ The sky girl wondered to herself. Her brewing guilt was becoming harder to ignore because she constantly recalled the look of betrayal and abandonment on Monty’s face when she took off on the back of a grounder’s horse. She frowned the entire way back while lost to her own thoughts. _Am I wrong for the way I handled things? How do I even know they’ll be safe? But more importantly, should I even care? I mean, none of them ever seemed to care enough about me, right? None of them made an attempt to come after me or fight for me aside from–_ She had stopped that particular line of thought while fisting tears from her eyes. She blamed it on the forceful winds as Kaiyoshi galloped the remaining distance. _I was probably more of a convenience to them, anyway. The only person who seems to actually care about me is–_

“Heda!”

 

Clarke jerked from her mindless gazing at the sight of York’s entrance. A grounder man was jogging over towards them before they could even pass the gates. She heard the Commander sigh from behind her as they neared.

 

“Seriously, _what now_?” The Commander drawled.

 

As the man got closer Clarke saw that it was the shoemaker, Lincoln. He was hardly out of breath by the time he sidled up beside the Heda’s stallion. His expression was stern as he dipped his head slightly before he looked upwards to the Commander. “Heda, may I have a word please. It is really urgent.”

 

After Lexa dismounted she turned her back to the man to help Clarke down for the nth time that day. “What is it, Lincoln?” She inquired with little to no interest, because honestly? There was always something ‘urgent’ that she would be pressed about.

 

The grounder hesitated looking to Clarke, then Indra, then at the numerous warriors accompanying them. Lincoln cleared his throat, “I think you’d rather hear of this in private,” he told her.

 

The brunette turned with a raised brow toward the man. “Would I?”

 

He nodded once.

 

“Alright then.” She conceded and stepped a good distance to the side, away from prying ears. “What is it?” She asked once they were away from the mass.

 

The man seemed a bit reluctant to speak. He was more than uncertain how the news would come off to his leader but figured it’d be best if she were informed sooner rather than later. With the impatient look his Heda wore, he figured he’d just bite the bullet and come out with it. “It’s your mother, Heda.”

 

 

∞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't proof read this and I'm a lilt tipsy so sorry for mistakes, but Heyy guyys :) I totally get it if some of you completely forgot about everything that lead up to this chapter but...idk. Hope you liked this one.


	18. Skaikrasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for mistakes.

∞

 

 

        A low rumbling roll of thunder sounded from overhead as Clarke tried to make out the expression on Lexa’s face in the distance. She appeared to be listening intently to what Lincoln had to say, and though Clarke was desperate to know what the two were going on about, she wanted nothing more than a warm meal and a long bath to wash away the mess of today’s journey.

 

        Her hand was pressed into Kaiyoshi’s side while the animal stood still, most likely waiting to be lead away so he himself could recover from his long trot. She rubbed at his rather large ribcage causing the horse to turn to her with its bulging obsidian eyes. “You must be really tired huh, boy?” She asked the stallion softly, but of course the animal didn’t reply. Looking sideways, she saw that Lexa was reproaching.

 

        “You all have done well, today.” The Commander addressed the assembly of warriors. “Your effort has not gone unnoticed, so please, spend the rest of the day as leisurely as you all wish. You are dismissed.” A formal chorus of ‘thank-you heda’ came from the gathering of women and men before they filed away and dispersed behind the gates.

 

        “Indra?”

 

        “Sha?” The woman came forth attentively, standing tall with her back ram-rod straight.

 

        “You know what is to take place tomorrow, don’t you?”

 

        “Of course, Heda.”

 

        “Very well then. For the time being, we have nothing left to discuss.”

 

        York’s Charge dipped her head shortly and she too departed.

 

        Once it was just the two of them standing in front of the village’s entrance, Clarke was finally free to ask. “Is there something wrong?”

 

        Lexa bit her lip while looking down at the girl, “No. Not quite.”

 

“Then what was it that Lincoln seemed so adamant about?”

 

“Well,” Lexa took a deep breath before gently taking ahold of Clarke’s free hand. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

 

Clarke’s brows furrowed. “Really, who?”

 

“I won’t say just yet, but you must know that they are really important to me.”

 

“O-kay…” The sky girl nodded slowly, still looking entirely lost about who Lexa could be referring to. She stopped trying to guess, however, when Kaiyoshi whinnied softly beside her and immediately Clarke was reminded of something. “Oh! Does it have to be right now, though? I was kinda hoping that I could walk the big-guy back to the stables.” Clarke smiled faintly at the stallion who seemed to press into her touch.

 

Lexa observed the interaction for a moment. “You’re fond of him?”

 

Clarke hummed, “I guess…”

 

“I thought you’d want to be nowhere near him after what happened back there with that girl.”

 

The blonde frowned, “I see why you’d say that and yes, while it took me by surprise, I don’t hate him for it. He was afraid and didn’t know how else to respond.” Clarke shrugged, “Everyone has fears.” She let go of the Alpha’s hand to walk to Kaiyoshi’s front. She patted him gently on the nose, “Isn’t that right big fella?”

 

A small smile crept upon the Commander’s face at the action, already wondering if she should get Clarke a horse of her own. Not a moment later, more thunder sounded from the skies. “We must hurry to the stables then.” Lexa rushed to grab ahold of her horse’s halter to untuck his ropes. “Here,” she offered the line to Clarke.

 

The blonde seemed unsure for a moment, “Do I tug him?” She looked to Lexa.

 

“He’ll follow, don’t worry.”

 

They made for the path that lead to the horse stables in silence. Once they got there, Lexa helped Clarke situate the animal in his stall.

 

“Is he going to be good for the rest of the evening?” Clarke asked her.

 

“Yes, he’ll be fine.” The brunette replied while securing the door to his stall. “He has fresh water and a trough full of oats all to himself.”

 

“Okay,” the sky girl smiled, “cool.”

 

 _I am definitely getting her a horse,_ Lexa thought as she followed behind Clarke on their way out.

 

 

∞

 

 

        It was drizzling by the time they got back to the cabin.

 

Once on the inside, Clarke had tried to quickly shake off whatever droplets of rain there was clinging to her frame. “Oh wow,” She gasped as she shivered involuntarily, her voice shaking on the phrase.

 

        Lexa came in just behind her and quickly closed the Cabin’s door. She tugged her arms out of her slightly damp coat and threw it to the side. Turning her attention to Clarke standing in front of her, the brunette frowned when she saw the affect the light rain had on the sky girl. “You’re cold.”

 

“Th-that I am,” Clarke stuttered.

 

“Come here,” Lexa beckoned with open arms and the blonde hadn’t hesitate to fall into the Alpha’s warm embrace. She hummed contentedly while the brunette rubbed up and down the side of both her limbs. “Are you warm enough yet?” Lexa asked her.

 

Clarke smiled against Lexa’s chest as she wrapped her arms around the taller girl’s waist seeking further comfort. “Nuh-uh keep going.”

 

Lexa grinned, “You lie.”

 

The blonde pulled her face from the Commander’s torso to gaze up at her in question. “Can you blame me?”

 

“I’m not sure.” The Alpha replied teasingly, “Can I?” Her gaze fell to Clarke’s mouth as she leaned down even further until their heated breaths combined. As slowly as her self-control allowed, she nipped at the blonde’s lower lip and took great delight in the way that the sky girl’s breath hitched in response. Gradually, their kiss intensified and somewhere along the way, Lexa’s hands had trailed from Clarke’s arms, to her waist, to the round cheeks of her behind and ended at the backs of the girl’s thighs.

 

Clarke yelped when her feet were suddenly no longer on the floorboards, but instead wrapped around the Alpha’s pelvis and hooked at the ankles around the brunette’s back. Lexa’s tongue had her feeling hazy while the brunette’s mouth worked intently, in tandem with her own. With her arms now encircled around the Commander’s neck, Clarke pressed her full chest into her Alpha’s sturdy torso. The blonde mewled and warmth flooded Clarke’s system as she felt her hardening nipples brushing against the fabric of her own shirt.

 

Her arousal was mounting and just as she was about to pull away to draw her tongue along the length of Lexa’s neck, the brunette was putting her back down. _Wait, what? No!_ Her feet touched the floor and she appeared to be completely flustered as she stared up into luminous green eyes.

 

The Alpha cleared her throat, her voice coming out low and raspy. “As much as I love where this is going…” Lexa dragged her spread palms back up to Clarke’s ass to give a gentle squeeze. The blonde hummed in delight at the action, tightening her arms around Lexa’s neck, but the brunette herself had to loosen her hold on Clarke.

 

Of course, this didn’t sit well with the sky girl and the Alpha knew this much.

 

The brunette sighed, “Hodnes, I’m sorry but we can’t. Not right now, not just yet.”

 

With her furrowed brows Clarke fought the urge to pout, “Why not?”

 

“Because,” She kissed Clarke chastely, “You do remember that person I wanted you to meet, don’t you?”

 

Clarke sighed, “Yeah…?”

 

“Well, that is going to happen sooner rather than later.” Looking down at the blonde girl, Lexa felt slightly apprehensive about the tiny glint of mischief glimmering in Clarke’s hooded blue eyes.

 

And she was right to feel apprehensive.

 

Clarke’s fingertips had sought to trace the skin of Lexa’s abdomen, right above the hem of her quickly constricting trousers. “Just _how_ soon?” She asked then peered up at her Alpha, eyes filled with artificial innocence. The sky-girl’s touch was cool in comparison to the Commander’s blazing form and a hungry growl resonated from the depth of her chest, unconsciously.  

 

Allowing her eyes to fall shut for a moment, Lexa counted to ten in her head and with every ounce of fight within her, she detached herself from Clarke. She lightly grabbed the blonde’s wandering hand to place a kiss to her knuckles. “Really soon.”  She looked intently into the sky girl’s eyes, “So how about you take a nice warm bath while I have a meal prepared for us. Okay?”

 

Clarke’s shoulders slumped slightly, but she was able to tell that Lexa was insistent that she obliged. “Okay.” She replied and only then did she realize that they were in the bath chambers.

 

“Would you like me to get Talia?” Lexa offered.

 

“No,” Clarke shook her head, “Thanks but I think I can manage on my own today.”

 

        “Alright then.” The Commander gave her one last kiss to the forehead before reluctantly leaving the room.

 

 

∞

 

 

Closing the doors behind her, Lexa remained still within the arch that lead to the bath chambers. The oak wood pressing into her back served well as an anchor as she took a long and hard breath; desperately trying to collect herself. _“Jok,”_ She stressed aloud as it took her a while to suppress her slowly sprouting erection. Once she’d somehow managed to get ahold of her arousal she made her way to the widest hall of the cabin.

 

Earlier, when Lincoln had told her that he had news concerning her mother, Lexa had immediately thought of the worst. The Commander found that she had no need to fret though, as Lincoln assured her that her mother was more than safe and sound. What she was _not_ pleased to hear, however, was the fact that the woman had endured a two-day journey all the way from the Capitol, just get _here, to York._ Lincoln had said that she arrived just shortly after they all left for the Skaikru campsite; accompanied by five of the Capitol’s warriors, apparently. When the woman got word from the village’s Second, Anya, that the Commander was out on safari, the Heda’s mother took to staying in the Trikru leader’s cabin until her daughter’s return.  

 

 

The majority of the usual helpers were absent for today, so the cabin was empty for the most part. It was oddly silent as Lexa resorted to poking her head into each room that she passed in hopes of finding her mother. As she rounded a corner in the hall she heard the sound of rustling cutlery coming from the cookery nearby.

 

“Talia?” The Commander called out to the chamber’s sole occupant.  

 

The girl turned abruptly at the Heda’s call. Clarke’s preferred handmaiden was seen working over a hot fire with a steaming pot of water.

 

“What is it that you’re doing?” Lexa asked her.

 

“Oh, Heda, I was just boiling some cerasee leaves.” Talia stirred the simmering cluster of herbs as she spoke, “Dinner has already been prepared by the cook and it’s been kept warm.”

 

The Alpha nodded then hummed in response, “This was at her request, wasn’t it?”

 

“Sha, Heda.” Talia nodded.

 

Lexa smirked. Her mother had always had an obsession for tea, no matter how cold or hot the weather was. “And where is she, exactly?”

 

“She reads in your bed chambers,” said the handmaiden.

 

“Right, well Clarke is having a bath now so would you kindly plate tonight’s meal, please? I’d prefer it be served just after she’s dressed.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Mochof, Talia.” Lexa expressed her appreciation, but just as she was about to leave, she had a thought.

 

The handmaiden noticed the Commander’s pause, “Is there something wrong, Heda?”

 

“No, no…” Lexa shook her head, “Just…be sure to plate a food for yourself as well. You work hard.”

 

The girl seemed momentarily baffled, shaking her head she pressed, “Heda, I am grateful for the offer but I –there’s really no need I can go home for–”

 

“Talia,” The Commander had cut her rambling with a raised hand, “Even when all the others retire to their homes you are still here. Your dedication is valued, so please. Dine with us tonight.”

 

Mouth gaping, the girl was uncertain of what to say. But in the end she gave a subtle nod of her head and smiled, “Gladly, Heda.”

 

 

∞

 

 

        In all her years as the Commander, Lexa has been exposed to nearly all there is to life on earth. She’s had a number of experiences that has shaped her into the woman, Alpha and leader that she is to this very day, but there is only one person that has always managed to strip her of all the armor that came with her titles. There is only one person whose known and nurtured her from she was a whimpering pup and that is her mother; the woman who loves her more than life could possibly allow and has always fought tooth and nail to protect her in any way necessary.

 

        Even to this very day, despite having grown up and being the fierce ruler of a widespread nation, her doting mother still couldn’t help but see her as the mischievous little girl running about the greenery of Polis.

 

“Was I missed that much or did you just feel like randomly taking a trip to one of the common lands?” Lexa questioned in an uncharacteristically teasing way. Her smile was stretched from ear-to-ear as she stood within the doorway of her bed chambers.

 

At the sound of her, Lexa’s mother immediately got up from her spot on the bed. Throwing a battered book across the furs the elder woman hurried to embrace her daughter in a constricting hug. “ _Hodnes_!” The woman exhaled loudly, grinning as her daughter held her just as firmly.

 

“What are you doing away from the capitol, Nomon?” The brunette had asked once she pulled away from their hug.

 

“What do you mean ‘what am I doing here?’” Beatrice scoffed lightly while slapping Lexa on her forearm, “You were said to return home _days_ ago.” The woman frowned, “I worried.”

 

Lexa sighed. “But that doesn’t warrant you to come all the way out here. You could’ve been harmed, Nomon.”

 

Beatrice scoffed again with her brows raised in question. “You think I’m too old to stab a brute if I needed?”

 

The brunette chuckled lightly, “I never said that.”

 

“Well, Hodnes, I’m here so quit dwelling on what’s done.”

 

Lexa shook her head, “And you’ve always called _me_ stubborn…”

 

 Ignoring her daughter’s muttered response, the elder woman went back to her place on the bed and took hold of her book once more. “Onto more pressing subjects…” she gave Lexa a knowing look before stating, “the trees whisper and they’ve told me that a certain yellow-haired maiden is the one responsible for your delay.”

 

Lexa’s cheeks reddened slightly, “Are the trees telling tales now?”

 

Beatrice smirked, reading her child like an open book. “Oh, dear, they never lie. Where is she? I want to see who’s caught the attention of my greatest joy.”

 

“Look, Nomon,” Lexa started as she rubbed at the nape of her neck, taking a seat next to her mother, “I know how… _strong_ you can come off towards others and–”   


The elder gasped with her hand propped against her chest, “Are you calling me overbearing?” She pretended to be offended.

 

“ _N_ o!” Lexa shook her head frantically, “Not at all, it’s just that–”

 

Beatrice smiled and placed a hand on Lexa’s forearm, “I’m teasing, dear.”

 

The brunette sighed, “Momma, please.”

 

The elder put her hands up, “I’ll be good, I promise. Quit your fretting.”

 

“Okay…” Lexa eyed her sternly. “You promise?”

 

Beatrice shifted to lean more closely, “You’re that smitten with this girl?”

 

“Smitten?” Lexa’s brows furrowed.

 

“Yes, smitten.” She held a hand up and waved her index finger at Lexa. “Because if she’s anything like the lot of Trikru women constantly throwing themselves at you, dear–”

 

“What? Momma, no!” Lexa looked away for a moment, “Clarke is nothing like that. My title is not the reason she’s…taken to me…”

 

“Hmm… _Clarke_.” Beatrice hummed in thought, “Well, go on. Tell me about her.”

 

And just like a dry pit set to burn beneath a blackened sky, Lexa lit right up as she told the woman she loved most about Clarke –her greatest gift from Luna who had been carefully wrapped by the stars and sent down to earth for her to cherish.

 

 

∞


End file.
